Mouth to Mouth
by uncannykaija
Summary: Set after the events of the 2K14 movie, Splinter did not recover from his fight with the Shredder. He is dying, and Leonardo is forced to find someone who can get his father the medicine that he needs. Enter Arelle, a med student with a troubled past, but who now has her life together. Will Leonardo make her risk everything to save his family? Leo/OC. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Plan

Leonardo stared at his reflection in the mirror. His normally bright eyes were lined with red from lack of sleep and stress. His body felt weak since he hadn't been able to work out in weeks. The blue mask that covered his face no longer gave him a sense of pride or confidence. He didn't feel like a leader. For the first time in his life, the only thing he felt was hopeless.

He shook his head in frustration. There was no point in dwelling on his own emotions. They wouldn't be changing anytime soon. Even if he was broken inside, he still had to act like he knew what he was doing - his brothers were depending on him.

Leonardo left his room and journeyed down the dark passage way. Donatello had been working hard to rebuild their home and return it to it's former glory. The process had been slow, mostly due to the lack of help that he had been receiving, but at least it gave Donnie something productive to do to help pass the time. Leonardo wished that he could say the same about Raph and Mikey, but as usual, those two had become impossible to deal with lately.

A small slit of light came from an open doorway at the end of the hall, and Leonardo entered the room slowly. April was kneeling beside Splinter, her long dark hair pulled into a knot on the back of her head. She'd been in the lair day and night the few weeks, and Leonardo was thankful for her help. Without her, he doubted that Splinter would have even survived this long.

"He's getting worse." April said softly as Leonardo lowered himself down beside her. "He needs a doctor. Badly."

"I know." Leonardo replied, his eyes locking onto his ailing father's limp body. "Are you sure you don't know anyone who can help?"

"No one that I trust." She answered sadly.

The turtle nodded. "It's okay. I have a plan."

April searched his face for clues as to what this plan might be. "Please, be careful. I know this has all fallen onto you to take care of, Leo. But you have to look at the bigger picture. Splinter wouldn't want you to risk your own safety for him."

"It's not that simple, April." Leonardo replied, not really hearing her words.

She'd been saying the same thing to him over and over... He knew that she didn't expect Splinter to live much longer, and that was fine, she was free to feel that way. She had been a good friend to his family ever since she had discovered them on the roof top that fateful night not too long ago... And even though she had proved herself as someone he could depend on, she didn't fully understand their way of life yet. Sure, she knew that they were ninjas, but the training and the meaning of that concept went much deeper than just being a skilled fighter.

His thoughts traveled back over the events of the recent weeks. First, they had defeated Shredder and his Foot Clan. He and his brothers had saved the city. All had been well when they brought the to mutagen back to Splinter to cure his wounds. At first, it had seemed like Splinter was going to make a full recovery.

Unfortunately, they had been wrong. The mutagen had cured his flesh wounds, but since it had originally been created for human use, it caused a reaction when it mixed with Splinter's already mutated blood. He had a bad infection now, one that Donatello was sure a heavy dose of antibiotics would be able to fix.

The challenge was getting their hands on the medicine.

There was no way that Leonardo was going to allow Splinter to die from a simple infection. His Sensei, his _father_ , deserved more than that. Honestly, if Shredder had killed Splinter, Leonardo would have been able to accept his passing away - at least it would have been an honorable death. But, there was nothing honorable about dying like this, frail and sick, simply because Leonardo couldn't find a way to get the drugs that he needed.

Breaking into a hospital had been Leonardo's first plan, but he had quickly released that it would be impossible to pull off. April had offered to do it, but there was no way he was going to let her take that kind of risk, and again, it was still an impossible plan. Raphael, Donatello, and Mikey hadn't offered up any other suggestions. Each of his brothers had been destroyed by the ailing of their father, leaving Leonardo to shoulder the burden of holding the family together all on his own.

He wasn't sure if it was the stress, the sadness, or the worry that had lead him to come up with his current plan. It was pure insanity, if he was really being honest with himself. What he was about to do would go one of two ways: he would either save his father from death, or he would expose himself, and probably be killed as a result. It was risk that he was willing to take.

No. It was the risk that he _had_ to take.

With that thought guiding him, Leonardo climbed back to his feet. First, he touched Splinter's arm lightly, and then he touched April's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'll be back." He said, giving her a small smile before leaving the room.

Leonardo hurried above ground, knowing that he needed to time everything perfectly in order for his plan to be successful. The city was quiet tonight, with only a few sounds off in the distance as he bounded from roof top to roof top. There were far less sirens than there had been over the last few months when the Foot Clan had been in their prime. Now that they had been dismantled, the crime rate in the city had dropped drastically.

The oldest turtle came to a particular roof top that he had become very familiar with over the last few evenings. Soon, the girl would be heading home from her nightly rounds at the hospital. She would turn the corner, cross the street, and then pass right by the building he was standing on. At that point he would follow her until she almost reached her home.

She was his last hope to save his father's life.

Leonardo waited patiently and leaned over the roof top. He was perfectly still, with his eyes fixed on the sidewalk below. Soon, she came into view. As usual, she had her headphones in, with her hair hanging long and loose. She always pulled it free from the ponytail that she wore while at work as soon as left the hospital.

The girl crossed the street, barely taking the time to look both ways before crossing, her eyes seeming faraway as she walked. Leonardo stalked along the roof's edge, waiting for her gaze to have no chance of spotting him before he took a bounding leap onto the next building. This continued on for a few blocks. Soon, she would be approaching the street where her apartment was located.

Now was the moment he had been waiting for.

Leonardo launched himself off of the rooftop and landed skillfully in the alley that she was about to pass by. In a swift motion, he grabbed her as soon as she came into sight, wrapping one arm around her and clapping his hand over her mouth. At first, she didn't react. Her body froze with fear and shock as he dragged her backwards a few feet. As he reached down quickly with his free hand and pulled up the manhole cover located on the ground, she started to put up a fight. She kicked and tried to brake free from his grasp, but her strength was no match for his. Leonardo scooped her up into his arms and jumped down into the sewer.

"What the fuc-!" She had begun to shriek during the brief moment that he had removed his hand from her mouth, but he silenced her once more when they had landed.

Again, she struggled, only this time it was even more violent than before because she had seen his face - she had seen who, or rather what, had just taken her hostage. Leonardo pressed her up against the damp concrete wall, one large green hand still covering her mouth. He was hating every moment of what he was doing to the poor girl. But, he knew that this was literally his only choice: he was out of both time and options.

Her grey eyes were looking at him wildly, traveling from his blue-masked face, to his chest, to his shell, and then to his large, muscular arms that were now holding her in place. He briefly wondered if she would faint like April had upon seeing him and his brothers for the first time.

"Please, calm down." Leonardo said, trying hard to make his tone sound kind. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her even more than he already had. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Ever so slightly, she stopped fighting him, but her whole body was still trembling. Tears had begun to fall down her cheeks, and the hand that he had over her mouth was starting to get wet. For a moment, he thought about just letting her go, and giving up.

What exactly was he doing? Had he gone truly mad?

"This isn't what you think." Leonardo continued. "I just... I need your help."

The girl's eyes narrowed in confusion. Again, her struggling stopped a little bit more.

"You work at the hospital?" He questioned.

She nodded her head slightly in reply.

"Look, miss, my father... he's sick. He has an infection and he is going to die unless I find a way to get him the medicine that he needs."

The girl stared back at Leonardo for a long while. All though her body was still quivering nervously, she had thankfully stopped crying. He took that as a good sign.

She gulped, her eyes now fixed on his twin katana that where strapped across his shell, and then she reached up to tap the hand that was keeping her quiet. Hesitantly, Leonardo lowered his arm.

She drew in a long, shaky breath. "You're... no-not going to-o kill me-me?"

"No, I'm not." He answered her honestly.

She reached up and wiped at her wet cheeks with the sleeve of her coat. "This isn't a dream, right?" She asked him, laughing darkly. "Or am I just going crazy?"

"Neither." Leonardo said patiently. He'd been down this road before - he knew all the questions she would have for him.

"What... are you?" She asked him, her eyes traveling over his body and shell once more.

Leonardo felt a little bit self-conscious under her gaze. "It's a long story."

"I don't know why you think I can help you..." She said quietly, chewing at her bottom lip. "I'm not really a doctor... I just started my rotation at the hospital... I've barely even learned how to give a shot yet."

"I just need antibiotics." He replied, and a small surge of hope ran through him. Was she really going to help?

She scoffed and shook her head. "Look, it's not that simple. If I get caught, I'll get kicked out of med school. And no offense, but attacking and dragging someone into the sewer isn't exactly the best way to convince them to help you."

Her words had come out harshly, and it was obvious that she immediately regretted them. She shuddered, like she expected him to strike at her for the way she had just spoken to him.

"I had no other choice." Leonardo said gently, making sure that he didn't make any sudden movements that would frighten her. She was like a cornered animal, and the sight made him feel sick. "You're right. This wasn't the best way. But, it's not like I could just walk up to you on the street."

The girl stared up at him, a million different emotions running over her features. He could see fear, awe, amazement, anger, and even a little tinge of curiosity. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face, seeming to be at war with herself over what to say or do next.

"What do you need exactly? What kind of infection is it?" She finally asked.

"I'm not sure. My brother was the one who determined it was an infection, but he didn't say what type. He just said antibiotics." Leonardo replied.

"Brother?" She said timidly.

"Yes." Leonardo answered her, trying not to smile at the way her eyes widened with shock at that information.

She sighed heavily. "Can you let go of me? I promise I'm not going to try and run off."

Leonardo had almost forgotten that he still had the girl pinned up against the wall. He backed away from her slowly, careful to not move too far in case she was lying and really did try to escape. She rubbed the place on her arm that he had been gripping her, and he felt bad that he'd had to be so aggressive. That was Raphael's style, not his.

"God." She muttered, more to herself than to the turtle. "I can't believe I'm about to say this but... I'll help you."

Leonardo couldn't help but grin at her, his heart pounding in his chest at the thought that he might have just saved his father. "Thank you. You don't understand how grateful I am."

An odd expression crossed her features as he spoke to her, like something about his words were surprising to her. It was almost like at that moment she saw that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't the monster that he had first appeared to be.

"Uhm, I can meet you tomorrow, after I get off... You seem to know my schedule... And where I live... So I guess I'll just meet you here?"

"Okay." Leonardo agreed quickly, not wanting to drag the conversation on any longer in fear that she might change her mind.

She took a cautious step away from the wall, watching him carefully, like she half-expected him to attack her again. Leonardo backed even further away from her, trying to show that she was free to leave. The girl hurried towards the ladder that would take her back to the alley, but she paused just before she started to climb up.

"Do you... Have a name?" She asked, much to his surprise.

"Leonardo." He answered.

"I'm assuming you already known my name."

Leonardo chuckled slightly. "No. I don't. I just knew that you worked at the hospital... And where you lived." He added, hoping that she would see he was trying to lighten the mood, and not threaten her, with the remark.

"Right." She said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'm... Arelle."

"It's nice to meet you, Arelle." Leonardo said politely. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded slowly, her eyes still watching him intently. He could have swore that they lingered on his face a little longer than they did anywhere else, but before he could be sure, she had started to climb the ladder.

He followed her quickly, deciding to take the long way home by roof top instead of risking giving away that he actually lived in the sewers. Just because she had agreed to help him somewhat easily didn't mean that he trusted her. For all he knew she was going to go home and call the police. He didn't worry about that though - they'd never believe her. If anything, they'd just convince her that she had imagined things out of fear.

She was already at the end of the alley when he got to the surface. Leonardo saw her look back at him as he climbed up a nearby fire escape gracefully, and then vanish into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Life of Crime

Arelle was no stranger to the life of crime.

In her late middle school/early high school life, she'd been quite the trouble-maker. That is usually what happens when young girls are left alone the majority of the time. It wasn't her mother's fault - she had always been working late and then sleeping through most of the mornings. This left Arelle with a little too much freedom, especially when growing up in New York City. She had never been arrested, thankfully, but she had done her share of stealing, lying, and experimentation with drugs. However, the latter was a short lived time of her life - drugs had never really been her thing, but there had been a few instances where she had tried them, mostly to discover that she never wanted to do them ever again.

It was in the middle of her Freshman year of high school that Arelle had changed her ways. Despite the slew of bad choices that she had already made in her short lifetime, she was a very smart and kind girl. She didn't want to be just another teenage stereotype and she had grown tired of the guilt that she felt every time she lied or stole something. Arelle had ditched any friends that weren't a good influence and got a job to occupy her time after school. She spent more time studying, and less time hanging around the streets. Soon, she developed a love for medicine, and her dream of becoming a doctor began to take shape. She didn't want to be any kind of special surgeon or a brain doctor... She just wanted to be able to help kids who were in trouble. Her sights were set on working in one of the many teen clinics located in the city.

Now, as she sat staring down at her uneaten sandwich on her lunch break, she was seriously considering doing something that could ruin that dream forever. Stealing medical supplies was basically the worst thing you could do as doctor - well, aside from purposely killing someone. Arelle couldn't believe that she was even thinking about it in the first place. How could she fall back into her old habits so easily? Hadn't she spent all this time trying to make up for the bad things she had done when she was younger?

Arelle poked holes in the bread of her sandwich mindlessly. The stealing wasn't even the worst part of the situation: the worst part was who she was stealing it for.

She had tried to convince herself that she was crazy. Giant talking turtles with blue eyes _did not exist_. This was the mantra that was going through her mind all last night, all this morning, and even now as she sat at the plastic table picking apart her food.

Arelle sighed. Deep down inside, she knew this matter went beyond the talking turtle. She was bored. Her life had been nice and quiet for so many years now. She missed the excitement of doing something wrong, she missed the adrenaline rush, the fear that maybe this time, she would get caught.

 _At least if I steal something this time, it will be for a good cause. I mean, Leonardo did seem pretty serious when he said his dad would die without the medicine..._ She pondered to herself. _I wonder if his dad is a giant turtle as well. Oh God, listen to yourself, Arelle. You didn't think such insane things even when you used to get high._

If it wasn't for the fact that Arelle had been sober since her Freshman year, she might have just chalked up the events of the night before to a bad, bad trip. It hadn't been though, it had been real, and she knew that was the strange, confusing truth. Leonardo had been real.

 _I guess it's time to see if I've still got what it takes._

* * *

For the first time in what felt like forever, Leonardo was practicing. He jumped, he kicked, he sliced, he diced, and he punched everything and anything he could find. The rush of belief that Splinter might be saved was enough to power him through the pain of his stiff muscles. He was out of shape, but with each movement and swing of his katanas, he began to feel like himself again.

"What's gotten into you?"

Leonardo stopped and turned around to see Raphael. His red-masked brother was eyeing him suspiciously from the doorway. He hadn't told any of his brothers about the possible success of his plan - he didn't want to get their hopes up in case things didn't work out.

"Just trying to feel normal again." Leonardo said simply. "Want to join me?"

"Nah." Raphael replied gruffly.

Leonardo worried about Raphael holding everything inside of himself, because without the release of stress that working out gave him, Raphael was like a ticking time bomb.

"You sure?" Leonardo pressed and his brother just nodded, then left the room.

He continued his workout for another hour, pushing himself as far as he could without actually passing out. He then went to get cleaned up before going to meet with Arelle. He wanted to get to the hospital early so that he could watch her the entire way up until their meeting spot, just in case she did anything weird.

Leonardo checked the time anxiously throughout the rest of the day. April came, as usual, around 7 PM to sit with Splinter. For a while, he sat with her and skillfully avoided all of her questions about where he had run off to the night before. He could tell that she was concerned, but there wasn't anything he could do about that right now.

When the time came for him to leave, April hugged him tightly, as if she somehow knew he was going off to do something dangerous. The oldest turtle just hugged her back and told her he wouldn't be gone long.

Leonardo arrived to the hospital about twenty minutes before Arelle was scheduled to be off. He watched the parking lot carefully, taking note of the cars parked there in case one of them followed her when she left. He knew that he needed to be smart about this in case she was planning to betray him.

Arelle left the hospital right on time. The first thing he noticed was that she kept her hair tied back in it's ponytail and the second thing he noticed was that she wasn't wearing her headphones. It was odd, but not enough to make him worry - yet. Leonardo followed her as she walked, watching the surroundings closely for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. However, she didn't call anyone or look over her shoulder a lot, and there were no strange cars driving along slowly behind her.

When she arrived at he alley way, she paused and looked up at the roof tops. He had anticipated this, and hidden well among the shadows. Arelle rolled her shoulders back, like she heading into a battle, and then started down into the sewer. The manhole cover hadn't been replaced since he had moved it last night. Leonardo wasn't ready to believe that she was trustworthy yet, so he dropped himself to the ground and inched closer to the opening. Once there, he lowered himself to the ground and waited quietly, trying to hear if she was calling anyone or moving around a lot. For a good ten minutes, he heard nothing strange.

Finally, Leonardo drew in a deep breath. This was it. Even though it appeared as though she wasn't planning anything, there was still always a chance. It was one he had to take however, and if she did try something, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Leonardo jumped down into the sewer and found Arelle leaning up against the wall. Her eyes widened when she saw him, no longer with fear, but with what appeared to be intrigue.

"I thought you were gonna stand me up." She said.

"Sorry I'm late." He replied.

Arelle reached into her backpack and pulled out a paper bag. "Since I didn't know what kind of infection I was dealing with, I grabbed all the samples I could. I wrote down what order to try them in and how long to try them for before giving him something else."

Leonardo reached out and took the bag from her slowly. He pulled open the top and looked inside to see a few dozen small boxes that did indeed look like medicine.

"Thank you." He told her, his tone low and serious. She had really done it.

"Uhm... I grabbed something else too. If your dad is really that serious, an IV might be the best course of action. That way, the antibiotics can go right into his blood as soon as possible... I grabbed everything I could to create a make-shift one..." Arelle said, pulling another bag full of supplies out of her backpack. "Any chance you or your brother know how to do this?"

"No." Leonardo replied.

"Well... I can try to explain it to you... Or... Uhm... I can come and do it."

Leonardo stared back at Arelle in shock. She seemed to be completely serious with her offer. There were no signs in her body language that she was lying. She looked a bit tense and nervous, but her eyes were saying that she actually wanted to help him. The risk of taking her to their home was huge. The last time they had brought a human there, it had been April, and shortly after the Foot Clan had attacked them. He knew there was no risk of that any longer, but there was a greater risk - the police.

Arelle seemed to understand why he was hesitating to answer her.

She pulled down the neckline of her scrubs, exposing a good amount of her chest and cleavage, then she pulled up the bottom hem and bared her stomach. She turned around to show him her back, then let the shirt cover her again. Leonardo swallowed hard. He hadn't expect her to do _that_.

"I'm not wearing a wire or a mic. You can pat me down if that will make you feel better." Arelle offered, seeming to be half-joking, but also half-serious.

Leonardo chuckled. "That won't be necessary."

He pondered her offer for another moment. He had brought one of Donnie's inventions along with him - one that could detect mechanical devices. He had brought it just in case she had showed, so that he could make sure no trackers or cameras were inside of the medicine's packaging. If an IV really was the best option for saving Splinter, he decided that he'd have to take the risk.

"Okay." He finally said, and he was surprised at the happy smile that she gave him in return. "I'm going to need to blindfold you, though. Are you comfortable with that?"

Her smiled faltered a little bit, but she nodded.

Leonardo pulled Donnie's device out a pouch on his belt. First he checked the bag she had given him, then he checked Arelle's backpack and her body once more. She allowed him to do this without any problems. The device blinked when he got to her coat pocket and she pulled out her cellphone.

"Turn it off." He ordered her, and she did.

He hadn't come prepared for her to return to the lair with him, so he hadn't brought along anything to cover her eyes. Limited on options, he pulled the blue mask from his own face and motioned for her to turn around so he could blindfold her.

Arelle trembled slightly as he started to wrap the fabric around her eyes, but when his skin brushed up against her's, she froze. He tried to keep it from happening again, but when he had to adjust the mask to make sure it was completely covering her eyes, the contact couldn't be helped. He leaned in close to her, trying to tell if she could see anything. Arelle didn't move, even when he raised his hand and brought it quickly towards her face like he was about to hit her.

Satisfied, he picked up her backpack and then took hold of her upper arm so that he could guide her.

At first, Arelle stayed quiet. They fell into a rhythm once they had gone on a little ways, Leonardo having to walk quite a bit slower than normal since his stride was much bigger than her's.

"Why did you pick me, to try and help you?"

The question caught Leonardo off guard, but he decided it was best to answer her honestly.

"I watched the hospital for quite a few nights. I needed to find someone who got off when it was dark. I saw you leave a few times before I started following you. One night, about a week ago, you stopped and bought coffee for a homeless man. It showed that you had a good heart."

"Oh." Arelle answered quietly.

Leonardo knew how twisted his words had sounded. Basically, he had been stalking her. He almost expected her to stop and say that she no longer wanted to help him - but, she just kept walking.

She didn't ask any more questions. They continued on in silence the rest of the way. Leonardo wondered if Donatello's cameras had picked up on them yet. He probably should have called and warned them, but it was too late now. When they were about a minute away from the main doorway, he decided it was probably safe to remove the blindfold.

Arelle flinched when he touched her.

"Sorry," he murmured.

He quickly untied the knot and pulled it away from her face. She seemed to let out a sigh of relief when she was able to see again, and she watched him carefully as he tied the mask back around his own eyes.

"I should probably warn you now," Leonardo began slowly. "I have more than one brother. I have three."

Her jaw dropped slightly. "Three?"

He nodded. "Yes. They don't know about what I have been doing... They don't know about you."

"And they're... Like you?" She questioned.

"Yes."

He saw Arelle swallow hard. Again, he wondered if she would back down and demand that he let her go home. He gave her a moment to decide, and when she looked up him with wide, yet trusting, eyes he nodded at her then lead the way to his home.

Leonardo pushed open the door and peered inside to see if any of his brothers were there. It was all quiet and so he stepped aside to let Arelle go in first. She did so slowly, observing the room before allowing herself to take the final few steps inside.

"This way." He told her, leading her towards the hallway that would take them to where Splinter was being kept.

Luckily, they made it to the room without any signs of his family - he hoped that they were all sleeping by now. Leonardo pushed open the door, but the stopped short. Raphael, Donatello, Mikey, and April were sitting around Splinter. All at once, they looked up at him, and then their eyes landed on Arelle.


	3. Chapter 3: Thankful

Arelle did not think of herself as the kind of girl who gasped.

In her opinion, that kind of reaction was only suitable in cheesy horror movies or in stupid romance movies. She'd seen her fair share of weird things - spending the night wandering the streets of New York, and it's kind of inevitable - but she'd never witnessed something that actually made her gasp in shock.

But now, she had.

Arelle gasped as she took in the sight of what was before her. Not only had Leonardo been telling the truth about having three giant turtle brothers, but his so-called "father" was actually a rat. Surprisingly, those two things were not the most shocking of all: the thing that truly made her gasp was that sitting among them was another human. Arelle vaguely recognized the woman as the pretty reporter she had used to see on the news.

 _Exactly how many people know about them?_ She wondered.

The three other turtles and the reporter were staring back at her with wide, questioning eyes. Arelle found herself moving behind Leonardo slightly, seeking protection from their prying gazes.

"What the _hell_ are you doing Leo?! Who is this?!" The biggest turtle of the bunch growled, getting to his feet quickly. He had a red mask tied around his eyes.

"Don't be rude, Raph. Look at her, she's terrified." Another turtle, who was wearing a purple mask, stated. He pulled some kind of mechanical goggles down over his glasses and studied her closely. "Her heart rate is increasing quite rapidly."

"She's here to help Master Splinter." Leonardo said, shoving past the big one and setting Arelle's backpack next to the rat. "She's a doctor."

Everyone's attention turned back to Arelle. With Leonardo no longer in front of her, she felt vulnerable.

"A doctor?" The third turtle asked hopefully. This one wore an orange mask.

"Yes." Leonardo replied, beginning to pull all of the supplies that Arelle had brought out of her bag and setting them on the table beside his father.

The woman still hadn't said anything. Arelle saw her looking between all of the brothers and the rat with concern. It seemed as though she truly cared for all of them, it was apparent in her eyes, and it also seemed like she didn't fear them. That made Arelle relax slightly.

"April, will you help Arelle with Splinter?" Leonardo asked the woman.

She nodded. "Of course."

"Lets give them some space." Leonardo ordered his brothers.

"But-" The orange masked turtle began to protest.

" _Now_ , Mikey." Leonardo said firmly.

Arelle noted the way that his brothers obeyed him. At once, the purple masked turtle and the one he had called Mikey got to their feet and began to leave. Arelle moved out of their way, watching with wonder as they passed by her. Each brother had some form of weapon at his side. Mikey, who was shorter than the rest, had what she thought were called nun-chucks. The skinny purple one had a bo strapped across his shell. It was moment before the red masked one followed the order. He was carrying two three-pronged sharp looking weapons. He shot Leonardo a cold glare before moving to leave, and when his hard green eyes landed on Arelle, it made a shiver go up her spine.

Leonardo reached out and put a hand on Arelle's arm lightly as he passed her by.

"Do what you can." He told her gently. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Any chance you've got some whiskey so that I can take a quick shot?" Arelle joked.

Leonardo smiled, which had been her goal. "I'm afraid not."

"Then I guess I'm good for now."

And then it was just her and April left in the room.

"What you're doing, to help them, it's really great." April told her honestly. "Trust me, I know how weird this all seems at first."

Arelle pulled off her coat and let it drop to the floor. "You're April... O'Neil, right?"

The woman smiled. "Yes."

"I remember seeing you on TV. How long have you known... them?" Arelle asked as she went over to the supplies that Leonardo had laid out. She found the surgical gloves, handed some to April, and began to pull on her own pair.

"Not long." April said.

Arelle looked down at the giant rat laying down before her. He was very thin, his skin stretching across his bones, and his breaths were quick, but shallow. She had no idea if anything that she could do would actually help the poor creature - or, man? - but the amount of love that had shown in Leonardo's eyes when he had looked at his father was enough to make her want to try.

 _He probably should have tried to find a vet._ She thought to herself wryly, seeing that Splinter was covered in fur.

"Ready?" Arelle questioned April. The other woman nodded, looking a little uneasy.

Arelle took a deep breath, and began to tie off Splinter's upper arm so she could begin to try and locate a vein.

* * *

The moment that Leonardo stepped out of Splinter's room and closed the door, his brothers began to bombard him with questions.

"Do you not remember the last time we brought a human here?! That's how Splinter got hurt in the first place!"

"Dude, where did you meet her? She's _smokin'_!"

"Are you certain that she is the proper type of doctor that we need for this situation? We really need someone who is trained in -"

" _ENOUGH!_ " Leonardo yelled. "I did what I had to do in order to save Sensei. The only thing that matters right now is that she is our _only_ chance of helping him."

"What makes you so sure we can trust her?" Raphael snapped in reply. "You should have told the rest of us 'bout this before you brought her here."

"April proved to be trustworthy." Donatello stated. "As did Vern. We should give - Arelle, was it? - a chance."

"I am _more_ than willing to give her a chance." Mikey interjected happily, a goofy smile spreading across his features.

Leonardo sighed. "Guys, I didn't _make_ Arelle come here with me. All I asked her for was the antibiotics. She was the one who offered to come help."

He watched as both Mikey's and Donatello's expression changed to understanding. He knew that they would happily accept another human into their lives, especially one that was a girl. They were guys, after all.

But, as usual, Raphael didn't seem to care about Arelle's kindness. His arms were still crossed and his eyes were still narrowed in anger. He had learned to deal with April after the events of taking down Eric Sacks, the Foot Clan, and the Shredder. She'd had her chance to write the biggest news story in history, but she hadn't done it, and had kept the turtle's secret instead. That show of loyalty had been enough to win Raphael over. Leonardo knew that Raphael was just trying to be an asshole now because he hadn't been a part of the plan. Raphael hated it when Leonardo made decisions without him.

"Do you really think she can help?" Mikey asked his older brother.

"I don't know." Leonardo replied honestly.

Raphael shook his head and stomped off towards his room at Leonardo's words. Mikey just nodded, his blue eyes darkening, and went to go sit on the couch. Donatello patted Leonardo on his shell, knowing better than any of them that the chances of Splinter recovering were very slim.

All the oldest turtle could do was go and sit down on the ground in front of the door to Splinter's room. If there was anything that his Sensei had taught him, it was that sometimes the only thing you could do in times of hardship was to meditate. Learning to find guidance in the silence inside of your own mind was an important lesson in life. Raphael, Mikey, and Donatello had never been able to grasp that concept. Raphael sought guidance in his rage, Mikey in his humor, and Donnie in his books. Leonardo had only ever sought guidance from Splinter, and now that he was facing life without him, he realized that he needed to learn to depend on himself.

* * *

Arelle looked down at Splinter, a little tinge of pride going through her. She had managed to find a vein, and get the first does of antibiotics running through his blood. She picked up the glass of water sitting by his beside, and dropped another type of medicine into it. She didn't want to risk the pill getting lodged in his throat, and he was too weak to sit up, so dissolving it into the water so that they could simply pour it down his throat would have to do for now. She was breaking all the rules from what she had learned in school, because who knew what would really help the rat in the end.

April had briefly filled her in on how Splinter had gotten hurt in the first place, though there were many details she had left out, stating that they were not her secrets to tell.

Basically, Splinter had a reaction to some kind of mutagen and it had caused an infection. From the looks of it, the infection was probably similar to blood poisoning. He had a very high fever and his heart was beating quickly, despite his confused state. April said that up until about two days ago, he had been coming in and out of consciousness, but his words never really made any sense.

Arelle knew, from a medical standpoint, that Splinter needed more than just the antibiotics. He needed fluids and probably an oxygen machine. The only thing that gave her hope was that, as April had explained, Splinter was a mutant. He had become the way that he was due to some kind of experimentation, and part of that experiment was finding a cure for all possible sicknesses. If they were able to counter the reaction that the mutagen had caused, hopefully his body would be able to fight off and fix the rest of the problems on its own.

Having done all that she could do for now, Arelle removed the plastic gloves and went to go fill Leonardo in. April had wanted to stay by Splinter's side for a little bit longer to make sure that he didn't somehow disrupt the IV.

Arelle hadn't expected to see Leonardo sitting on the floor outside of the room. His legs were crossed, his eyes were closed, and his mouth was resting in a peaceful line. He didn't seem to hear her approach, or so she thought, but then his eyes opened quickly. She knelt down in front of him.

"I got the IV in and gave him another type of antibiotic as well. Now we just have to... wait." Arelle said quietly.

"Thank you, Arelle."

"Well, don't thank me yet." She replied, turning her gaze down at her hands.

If she failed, and Splinter died, she knew that she'd never be able to forgive herself. She knew that she was Leonardo's only hope, and the amount of pressure that made her feel was beginning to weigh on her.

"I am just thankful that you were willing to try." Leonardo told her kindly.

Arelle smiled slightly. "Uhm... I should probably head home. I have to go into the hospital early tomorrow."

"Of course." Leonardo said, climbing to his feet in a single, graceful movement. He reached out his hand to help Arelle up, and she found herself less hesitant than before to touch him.

"Let me just go gather my things." She said, also wanting to check on Splinter one last time before she left.

* * *

Leonardo waited patiently for her. Once she had grabbed her coat and backpack, they went out to the main room, where Mikey was still sitting the couch. She waved to him as Leonardo lead her towards the entrance to their home, and his brother gave her a toothy grin in return.

"That's... Mikey, right?" Arelle asked.

"Yes. Or, Michelangelo." Leonardo told her.

"And the others?"

"The one in purple is Donatello. The one in red is Raphael."

"Ah." She replied. "So, do you need to blindfold me again?"

Leonardo had been thinking about that. On one hand, he didn't want to insult her, but on the other, he knew it was a big risk to let her see the direct path to their home.

"Just for half the way." He finally decided, giving her an apologetic smile.

"Fair enough." She said, turning around so that he could tie the mask around her again.

Leonardo did this quickly, much less concerned about making sure that it was done right as he had been on the way here. He knew it probably wasn't the best idea, but at this point, he had pretty much already blown their cover, so it really didn't matter. Arelle seemed to be handling everything quite well, though, and that made it a bit easier to begin to trust her.

"So, April told me a little bit about Splinter. Are you and your brothers mutants too?" She questioned him as he began to guide her back down the sewer.

"Yes, we are."

She seemed to think about this for a while. Leonardo could see her chewing on her bottom lip.

"She mentioned something about you guys being ninjas."

Leonardo chuckled. "That is also true."

"That explains the scary weapons, then." She commented. "April said that you're the oldest."

"In a sense."

"And that you're the leader."

Leonardo both loved and hated that word. On one hand, he held the role that his father had given him with pride. Splinter had known that he was the most mature out his brothers, the most rational. But, it was also the cause of a lot of tension in is family, and it was the cause of a lot of the stress that he felt everyday. Being the leader meant being in charge if something were to even happen to Splinter, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that just yet.

"Sorry. I'm being nosy." Arelle said quickly when he didn't respond.

"It's fine. I think you've earned the right to ask a few questions." Leonardo replied, but she didn't ask any more.

A few minutes later, they were about two blocks from the manhole that was located by her apartment. Leonardo removed the mask from her eyes and she smiled up at him, seeming to grow more and more relaxed in his presence. When they reached the opening to the surface, she paused before leaving his side.

"I can write down my phone number for you... In case something happens to Splinter... Oh wait, do you even have a phone?" She rambled awkwardly.

Leonardo chuckled. "We do."

He pulled out his T-Phone, and tried not laugh again at her shocked expression upon seeing it.

"Donatello," he said by way of explanation.

"Right..." She replied, still looking at the phone in awe. She rattled off her number and then started to move away.

Once again she paused, which Leonardo found odd.

"So... If you want, I can come by tomorrow night. Check on everything..." Arelle offered shyly.

"Yes. I think that would be a good idea." Leonardo told her.

A smile spread across her lips. "Great! Uh, same time, same place?"

He nodded.

Arelle finally made her way back up the surface, and Leonardo stood looking up through the hole for another moment. He was thankful that April had obviously been able to make Arelle feel more comfortable about being around himself and his brothers. Splinter wasn't out of trouble yet, and it gave Leonardo a little peace of mind to know what Arelle seemed more than willing to keep helping them.

Maybe tonight, he would actually be able to get some rest.


	4. Chapter 4: Toothpick

The worst part about having to get up early was that Arelle had to deal with her stepfather, Alan. He was a tall, serious man who worked at a fancy law firm and had swept her mother off of her feet when Arelle was just a junior in high school. By the time she was a senior, her mom and Alan had married. He'd moved them into a nice apartment down town and her mom had been able to leave her job so that she could pursue her true dream of being an artist. Arelle appreciated everything that Alan had done for her family, but by the time he had came into her life, she'd been far too old for a new father. He had never shown any real interest in bonding with her, and she had been just fine with that. Not to mention the fact that Alan was extremely judgmental - if he ever found about her past, he probably would have kicked her out long ago, hence why Arelle wasn't interested in sharing too much about herself with him.

Now, he sat at the breakfast bar eating a grapefruit and drinking coffee. Normally, he was long gone by the time Arelle emerged from her room, leaving her and her mother free to eat their toaster waffles in peace before Arelle left for the hospital.

"Goodmorning, Arelle." He greeted her formally. "What are you doing up so early?"

She tried not to roll her eyes. He made it seem like she usually slept in until noon, when usually she was always awake before 8 AM. But, to him, that might as well have been noon.

"I have some paper work I need to caught up on." Arelle explained as she began to pull the box of waffles out the freezer.

"Mmm." He replied, going back to his newspaper.

Arelle set to work making her food. She was tired, too tired to try and come up with another topic for her and Alan to discuss. All night long she had woken up at random times to check her phone and make sure that Leonardo hadn't texted her. She kept wondering if she had done a good enough job of showing April how to remove the IV and bandage up the area. She kept going over every event that had taken place, in case she woke up and it had all really been a dream.

"Have you given any more thought to my offer, Arelle?"

Alan's voice make her jump. She saw him raise an eyebrow curiously at her reaction.

"Uhm, yeah. I'm still not sure yet." She answered him.

For quite a while now, Alan had been trying to get her to move out. He figured that her hesitation to leave was based purely upon money, and so he offered to help her with rent on a small apartment of her choosing. It was a kind gesture, in a sense, but Arelle could read between the lines: Alan thought she was just trying to mooch off her mother and him for as long as possible before leaving.

This was not Arelle's intention at all. She had plenty of money saved up from working everyday after school since she'd decided to turn her life around. Plus, it wasn't like she enjoyed the idea of being in college and still living at home. Arelle just didn't want to waste all of her money before she was ready. Living in the city wasn't cheap. Since she was aiming for a job at a clinic, and not a fancy hospital gig, it wasn't like she was expecting a big pay check every month. Plus, she wasn't about to let Alan bully her into leaving. She'd go when she was ready, after she graduated, or at least when she found a suitable roommate.

"No one will take you seriously as a doctor if you say 'uhm'." Alan told her, his tone cool.

Arelle sighed. She was far too tired for this.

* * *

" _LEO!"_

Leonardo was on his feet in a split second. He ran down the hallway quickly, going to the place he assumed the voice had come from: Splinter's room. He didn't know what time it was, but he felt unnaturally groggy, so he assumed that he had slept in longer than he usually did. He discovered Donatello kneeling beside Splinter, a wide smile on his face.

"He just asked me for some water." Donatello told his brother upon seeing him enter the room. "He even lifted his head a little bit so that he could drink it."

Leonardo rushed to his Sensei's side, reaching out to take a hold of his paw. He wasn't sure if it was just the hope clouding his vision, or if Splinter had really improved, but he did see some changes. Splinter's breathing seemed steadier and the color of his skin, from what he could see under his fur, had a bit more color. There was a bandage on his forearm from where the IV had been, and the bottle of antibiotics was on the table next to him.

"Did he get his medicine this morning?" Leonardo questioned.

"Yes. I had just given it to him when he asked for more water." Donatello explained.

He was looking over Splinter with whatever invention he was wearing strapped to his head today. It was beeping and buzzing each time he moved. Leonardo smiled at his brother and squeezed Splinter's paw.

"We'll see what Arelle says tonight, and go from there." Leonardo said, and then he heard a noise from behind him.

"So, she's comin' back?" Raphael asked, leaning against the door frame and folding his arms across his chest. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"You tell me, Raph." Leonardo shot back. "Take a look at Splinter and tell me that he doesn't look better. We owe that to Arelle."

"We got him the medicine. Her comin' back here just puts us at risk."

" _We_ didn't do anything. _I_ got Sensei the medicine." Leonardo said coldly, looking his brother right in the eyes as he spoke.

"What are you tryin' to say? That I dodn't care about Splinter?" Raphael snarled in reply.

"Of course not. I'm just saying that I'm the one who figured out a way to get him the medicine, so I'm the one who is going to decide how we handle Arelle. We need her." Leonardo said firmly. "That's how it's going to be until we know for sure if Splinter is getting better."

"Fine." Raphael snapped. "But when this all goes to hell, that's gonna be on your back."

He left his spot in the doorway and stomped away. Leonardo looked back down at Splinter, Raphael's words hitting him deeper than he cared to admit. He was aware that if things went wrong then it would all be his fault. It was a feeling that he carried around with him everyday, since he was responsible for most of the decisions that needed to be made.

Raphael thought it was an easy task, being in charge, but it wasn't.

"You okay, Leo?" Donatello asked him quietly. "You know he's just upset about Splinter, right?"

"I'm fine." Leonardo stated.

Those words were becoming his mantra.

"Where's Mikey?" He then questioned, realizing that he hadn't seen his youngest brother yet, which was odd.

"I'm pretty sure he is going through all the video games we own and changing all the names of Raph's characters to 'Rachael'." Donatello replied, like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Leonardo sighed. "Do I dare ask _why_?"

Donatello shrugged. "Just to see how long it will take Raph to notice?"

 _At least some things never change._ Leonardo thought to himself as he chuckled.

* * *

Arelle stared down at the manhole. Someone had finally put the cover back into place, and it was far too heavy for her to move on her own. She had brought a change of clothes with her to the hospital today, not wanting to wander around the sewers in her good scrubs anymore. She was now wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. The sudden sound of a cars honking made her flip around to see if she could tell what was going on, but the alley didn't allow much of view. When she turned back to look at the ground, the manhole cover had been moved aside.

It was an unnerving feeling, knowing that it had been moved so quickly and silently that she hadn't even noticed. Of course, she had also been grabbed from the streets by Leonardo just two days ago, so it was obvious that if someone ever really wanted to kill her, she'd just be a sitting duck.

 _I guess that's what happens when you trade street-smarts for book-smarts._ She thought to herself as she climbed down into the sewer, the idea making her a bit sad.

"Blindfold?" Arelle questioned Leonardo by way of greeting.

"Not today."

She smiled, and started on her way. "So, how is Splinter doi-"

"Arelle?" Leonardo interrupted her. "You're going the wrong way."

She felt her cheeks go red. "Oops."

Her and the turtle began their walk, this time going the correct direction.

"And he is doing better, I think." Leonardo said, getting back to her original question.

Arelle looked up, about to respond, but caught him staring down at her curiously.

"What?" She asked, wondering if she had dirt on her face or a cobweb in her hair.

Now that she could see what the inside of the sewer really looked like, she wasn't exactly impressed.

"You're not wearing your scrubs." He stated. "You look different."

"Like, good or bad, different?" Arelle replied.

"Neither." Leonardo replied. "You just look younger without them on."

"I'm not like, old, you know." Arelle said, laughing slightly. "I'm only 22."

"I would have guessed that you were older."

"How old are you?" She questioned, without really thinking about it.

She saw Leonardo's face change slightly, suddenly much more serious, and she bit her lip with regret.

"I'm 19." He finally answered.

"So... You've lived down here in the sewer for 19 years?" Arelle asked hesitantly.

"15."

Arelle didn't understand how he got 19 years old as his age if they had only been alive for 15 years... But then, it dawned on her what he was trying to say.

 _He had been alive, as a normal turtle, for 4 years. And then he... mutated, and has lived down here for the last 15 years._

She peeked up at him slowly, realizing that this was the first time she'd really had the chance to observe him. They were alone, her eyes weren't covered, and they weren't busy discussing his father. She gladly took the chance to soak up every detail of Leonardo that she could.

* * *

Leonardo was aware of Arelle watching him.

He knew that she probably had a million questions for him, not only because of the awkward conversation that they'd just had, but also because the poor girl had only been given bits and pieces of his family history so far. She didn't know nearly enough for anything to actually make sense. He knew that he'd eventually have to sit her down and explain the whole saga of his life, but that story was wearing thin on him after everything that had happened recently. He was sure that Arelle had heard the rumors and stories about Eric Sacks, but of course, nothing mentioned the turtles. She had no idea that whole event had been related to him.

Leonardo knew that over-sharing information might possibly lead to scaring her off, which he wasn't willing to risk just yet.

Mikey had reappeared from his earlier activities and was digging around in the fridge when they arrived back to the lair. He immediately hurried over.

"What's up, guys?" He greeted them with obvious excitement.

Leonardo knew that nothing cheered his youngest brother up better than finding a new way to annoy Raph.

"Sup, Mikey." Arelle replied, holding out her fist to the orange-masked turtle.

Mikey bumped his fist against her's, looking over-the-moon that Arelle seemed so happy to see him again. The interaction also shocked Leonardo a bit too.

"Is it okay if I go...?" Arelle asked, turning to Leonardo and motioning towards the hallway.

"Yes. Of course." He said, watching her hurry off to go check on Splinter.

"Sensei looks a lot better this morning." Mikey said cheerfully. "Good call on the girl, Leo. Good call."

"Thanks, Mikey." Leonardo replied, laughing slightly. "Convince Raph of that, will you? Or should I say, _Rachael_."

Leonardo then fixed his brother with a hard 'I know what you did' look. Mikey just grinned back at him.

* * *

Arelle was pleased to see that Splinter did indeed look better. There wasn't much of an improvement yet, but just the few small things that she could see made her believe a full recovery was possible. She checked the bandage on his arm, seeing that April had done an excellent job with removing the IV. She stood up, about to go and tell Leonardo the good news, but stopped short at the sight of Raphael in the doorway.

His eyes were narrowed, and he was chewing intently on toothpick that was hanging halfway out his mouth.

"How's he lookin'?" He asked her gruffly.

"Better." She responded simply.

He nodded.

"I was hopin' to talk to you alone. Make sure you understand things." Raphael said, moving the toothpick to the other side of his lips.

"What things?" Arelle questioned him.

"The things that will happen to you if you tell anyone about us."

Raphael's voice was low, rough. There was a truth to his words, Arelle could sense that, but she could also tell that it was mostly a show. She'd known guys like him, many guys. Hell, they were usually the type of guy she went for, minus the shell and green skin. He was tough and wanted everyone, especially her, to know it. But it said a lot about him, that the only way he felt comfortable threatening her was without Leonardo.

"I think we both know that you don't call the shots, so stop pretending like you do."

The words just fell out her mouth. Something in the way he was threatening her made her old-self come out: the side of her that held a lot of anger, a lot of venom.

Raphael's eyes widened at her remark, and she instantly regretted what she'd said. Not only had it been a tad rude, but it also probably wasn't wise of her to piss off Leonardo's brother.

"You don't know anything." He growled back at her, before she could apologize for the low blow. "Leo might trust you, but I don't."

He chewed on the toothpick some more, looking down at her with a bored expression. Something about the way he was carrying himself made her feel like he wasn't taking her seriously - like he didn't believe she would actually hold her ground against him. It made her blood boil.

Again, without really thinking her actions through, Arelle marched up to Raphael and pulled the toothpick right out his mouth.

"Sorry. You chewing on that was really distracting me from how menacing you were trying to be." Arelle said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You were saying?"

Raphael's mouth dropped open. He seemed completely and totally shocked by what Arelle had just done. She gave him a moment to respond, then handed the toothpick back to him.

"That's what I thought."

Arelle smiled at him sweetly, mockingly, and then went to go find Leonardo.


	5. Chapter 5: Stolen

Leonardo had planned on giving Arelle her space while she checked on Splinter. He sat down on one of the couches and tried to focus on the random TV show that was playing. But, after only a few minutes, he decided that it was better for him to go and see if she needed anything. Not to mention, with the possibility of a Raphael Vs. Mikey fight due to the whole video game thing, he figured that it was best for him to stick close to her. As he approached Splinter's room, he observed two things happen: one, Raphael was in the doorway, speaking to Arelle, and two, Arelle was saying something to him.

The weirdest part though, was that she was smiling.

She then passed by Raphael and he moved by her into the room, disappearing from Leonardo's sight. She didn't seem to notice him walking towards her down the hallway until a moment later. She was still smiling to herself.

"Oh! Hey." Arelle said to Leonardo when her eyes finally found him. "I was just coming to talk to you."

"Everything okay?" Leonardo asked her suspiciously, making it very clear that he was not just referring to Splinter.

"Yup." She replied, but then seemed to change her mind. "Actually... No. You got a bathroom down here?"

"If you go back into the main room, you'll see a hallway off to your left. It's down there." Leonardo directed her, trying to read in her expression what had just taken place between her and Raph.

He watched her carefully as she went by him to go and find the bathroom.

 _She doesn't look upset..._

Leonardo was about to go question Raphael when he heard a familiar voice floating back from the living room. April was standing next to Mikey, holding a folder tightly in her hands. The youngest turtle was, as usual, trying to impress her with a joke. Normally, April was a good sport about Mikey's obvious crush, but when she saw Leonardo, it was clear that her attention was on something more important.

"I need to talk to you." She said to Leonardo in a hushed tone, her eyes twitching back and forth between him and the bathroom.

"Sure..." He answered her hesitantly. "Mikey, watch for Arelle when she's done. Make sure she doesn't need help with anything."

Leonardo lead April towards his room, figuring that was the most private place that they could talk. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything that was happening: Arelle being there, Raphael having been alone with her, and now April appearing with some kind of news. He opened the bedroom door for her and motioned for her to go in first, then followed.

"What is going on?" He questioned.

April took a deep breath, looking like she had information that she really didn't want to share with him.

"Just tell me." He added firmly, steeling himself for another problem to add to his list.

It was growing quite rapidly today.

"Well, after Arelle left yesterday, I wrote down the names of all the antibiotics that she brought." April began, holding out the folder to Leonardo and noticing his dumbfounded expression. "Hey, don't look so surprised. I might not have a job right now, but I'm still a journalist. Taking notes and doing research are the same as breathing to me."

Leonardo chuckled and took the folder from her. He skimmed over it's contents quickly, not quite understanding why she had just handed him information on a bunch of different medicines.

"What exactly am I looking at?" He asked April, meeting her gaze evenly. "What is all this?"

"Where did Arelle say that she got the drugs exactly?" April replied quietly.

"She said that they were samples. Except for the IV supplies. I'm not sure about those." Leonardo answered.

"What she brought were not samples. They were antibiotics, and they were good ones, the kind that cost people a lot of money to get as prescriptions. She had to have stolen them, Leo." April whispered, seeming to drop her tone lower with each word that she spoke. "I don't know how she did it, but I think it's a bit concerning that she was able to get away with so much..."

Leonardo studied the papers some more. He could see that April was telling the truth. Not only had Arelle obviously stolen the medical supplies, as opposed to just swiping samples like she had previously said, but she had also stolen the best supplies possible. On each page, April had circled all of the alternative choices that someone could take in replacement of the more expensive ones. Arelle had certainly paid no regard to cost.

"I'm not saying she was wrong to do this. She did, after all, probably save Splinter's life. All I'm saying is that you might want to be careful. Arelle seems nice, but this... Is a little odd. Don't you think?" April said, her tone soft.

Leonardo knew that April meant well. He knew she was only trying to look after his family, which meant more to him than anything.

"I'll talk to her." He assured April, handing her back the papers. "Don't worry about it, alright?"

"Sure." April replied, giving him a weak half-smile.

"Thank you for all your help, April." Leonardo told her seriously. "Not only with this, but with everything. I probably don't express my gratitude often enough to you. I'm sorry for that."

April nodded, her half-smile turning into a full one. "I understand. You've been a little distracted lately, with good reason. But, it's still nice to hear."

 _Yeah. I'm sure that it is..._ Leonardo couldn't help but think to himself sadly.

He couldn't remember the last time that someone had thanked him.

* * *

Arelle was sitting on the couch with Mikey. In the ten or so minutes that she had been left alone with the turtle, he had already invited her to stay for dinner, shared his family's entire life story, and made a sandwich. Now, he sitting beside her, eating said sandwich.

Arelle felt like she had just fallen down the rabbit hole and come out in Wonderland.

Her mind was flooded with questions. _Eric Sacks? The Shredder? The Foot Clan? What the fuck?!_

When Leonardo appeared from where ever he had run off to with April, she fixed a set of wide eyes on him. He looked back at her with a steady gaze, and despite her current confusion, she wondered what he and April had sneaked off to talk about.

"Arelle, will you come with me for a moment?" Leonardo asked her.

"Mhm." She answered him absentmindedly.

Arelle got up from the couch, aware of the fact that Mikey was now watching them curiously. April gave her a polite smile as she passed by, but Arelle immediately picked up on her sudden coolness.

 _Something is definitely up._

Leonardo lead her off towards where he and April had just come from. It wasn't until Arelle entered the room he brought her to that she realized this wasn't just some random place: she was in his bedroom. She knew that she could tell a lot about a person by the state of their personal space, and Leonardo's was exactly what she had expected: it was neat, clean, with everything in it's place. He had books lining the concrete walls, there was minimal clutter, with hardly any knick-knacks and no posters. The only sign that a guy lived in the room was the TV which, despite his usual air of maturity, had stacks of video games and movies scattered around it's base. She smiled at the sight.

 _Seems as though Mr. Leader isn't as serious as he likes to pretend._

"Mikey shared your uh... Family history with me while you were talking with April." Arelle commented, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"All of it?" He questioned.

"Yeah. He can sure talk _really_ fast." Arelle laughed.

"Sorry." Leonardo replied. "I should have warned you more about Mikey. He can be... overwhelming."

"Nah. It's all good. I think he's cool." Arelle said, giving him a kind smile. She didn't want him to think that she was insulting his family. "I even like Raphael. Haven't seen the other one around though. Is he scared of me?"

"Maybe." Leonardo answered her, chuckling.

"So, what's going on? I have a feeling there is reason I'm the second girl to join you in your room today."

Arelle was aware that she was flirting. She was tilting her head coyly, looking up at Leonardo through her eyelashes. The only thing was that she didn't really understand _why_. He, however, was either not picking up on her attitude, or he just didn't care. Leonardo bent down his knee in front of her, bringing himself down to her level. Arelle found it both odd and welcoming to be able to look him straight in the eyes.

"I know that the medicine you brought Splinter wasn't samples." Leonardo said calmly.

Arelle's eyes narrowed at him in confusion. This was what he had wanted to talk to her about?

"Uhm... Duh?" She replied. "I think like, three of them were samples. The rest I had to steal."

She saw the way his expression changed at her statement. In a way, it made her feel ashamed, like somehow, he was looking at her differently: like she had done something wrong.

"Isn't that... what you _wanted_ me to do?" Arelle continued. "How else did you think I was going to get the medicine? Magic?"

"No, of course not. I had just assumed that you would only steal one kind of antibiotic. But, you took some of the most expensive pills that are available. Why would you take such a risk?" Leonardo questioned her.

"Are you serious?" Arelle snapped. "You came to _me_ , remember? You _attacked_ me, begged me to get you medicine, and now you're _mad_ at me for getting the best medicine that I could find?"

"I'm not mad. I just misunderstood you before when you said that you had gotten samples. I didn't realize that you had also stolen so much from your work." Leonardo explained.

"I was trying to do the right thing." Arelle defended herself, beginning to get upset.

"I just don't want you to get into trouble, Arelle. What if you get caught? How will you explain why you needed all of those drugs?" Leonardo said desperately, fear gleaming in his eyes.

Arelle then knew what the whole conversation was really about.

"You're afraid I'm gonna rat on you." She said, more to herself than to him. "Or, uhm, tell on you. I guess 'rat' isn't really an appropriate word to use," she added with a chuckle.

Leonardo locked his blue eyes onto her. She wondered if they were really that blue naturally, or if his mask just made them appear that way. Arelle reached out and touched his arm, spreading her fingers across his rough, green skin.

"I'm not going to tell. Trust me, I'm the _last_ girl you gotta worry about going to the cops." Arelle told him, smirking despite the seriousness of the conversation. "And I won't get caught. Sorry to break it to you, Leo, but I'm not as good of a person as you think I am. That wasn't my first time stealing something of value."

"You shouldn't have taken such a risk." Leonardo said firmly, but she could see some of the darkness fade from his expression. "And I still think you're a good person."

"You won't for long." Arelle joked, fixing him with a wicked smile.

This time, she could tell that he picked up on her flirting. She could see just a tinge of color spread across his face under his mottled skin.

Leonardo climbed to his feet quickly and held out his hand to help her up. She took it gladly, feeling a little bit better now that her devious background was more out in the open. Leonardo seemed so noble, so honest, and it was hard for her to feel like he wouldn't judge her for her past. She could tell that his brothers, Raphael in particular, could probably understand better what it was like to have a dark-side.

When she looked at Leonardo, she saw no dark-side. She only saw only loyalty, honesty, and patience. There was nothing in him that reminded her of herself.

"Soooo..." Arelle began as they started down the hallway. She didn't want to think about her personal issues anymore. "Wanna tell me how the hell Eric Sacks got involved with you guys? Wasn't he like, a millionare who practically ran the city?"

"I thought Mikey already told you the story." Leonardo commented.

"I have a feeling that his version of the story, and what _really_ happened, might be a bit different. I mean, Eric Sacks? Really?" Arelle said, raising an eyebrow with disbelief.

Leonardo laughed. "Really."

"Then you need to tell me again, because I'm totally lost."

And so, Leonardo told her everything.


	6. Chapter 6: Reality

Leonardo watched Arelle closely as she paced back and forth. One hand was holding her half eaten slice of pizza, while she chewed the thumb nail on her other hand, deep in thought. He hadn't intended on telling her everything about his family, but one thing lead to another, and now here they were.

Her questions had started out innocently enough, first wanting to know the truth about Sacks and The Footclan. The conversation had then progressed into who the Shredder was. Around that time, Mikey and April had come back from fetching dinner. They had found Leonardo and Arelle sitting in the living room, him right in the middle of explaining to her about how the Shredder and Eric Sacks had met. The smell of pizza had drawn Donatello and Raphael out to join them. Soon, everyone had positioned themselves around Leonardo, much like children at story-time in school.

With everyone gathered, Arelle began to question more things: how April had gotten involved, how the brothers had filled their home with so many things, how they had come to know karate, and then, finally, all the details of how Splinter had gotten hurt. Leonardo had been hoping to leave out those details, but after revealing everything else, he figured that there was no point in trying to keep any secrets. Luckily, April had gone home by the time that they had gotten to that part: Leonardo knew that April still blamed herself for what had happened to their Sensei, since she was the one who had lead Sacks to their home.

Arelle now knew everything, and Leonardo found himself surprisingly nervous. Had he scared her away? Did she think he and his brothers were even bigger freaks than before? And the biggest question of them all: did she even believe his story? He knew that it had all sounded crazy. He could see the way her eyes had widened and narrowed throughout his narrative. He could see the doubt shadowing her face.

Now, as he watched her pace, Leonardo saw Raphael reach for the X-Box controller out of the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing?" He asked quickly.

"Was gonna play a game. That okay with you?" Raphael huffed in reply, giving Leonardo an annoyed glare.

"Not now." Leonardo said firmly. He'd take the risk of pissing Raphael off if it meant keeping him from discovering what Mikey had done while Arelle was still there.

Leonardo knew that seeing Raphael in all his hulked out glory would not help to make her feel like she was safe around the brothers.

Raphael shrugged, obviously unhappy, but thankfully didn't put up a fight. Leonardo then turned his attention back to Arelle. She was now finishing her pizza, looking like she had come to some kind of conclusion in her head about everything she'd just learned. The silence in the room was awkward. Both Mikey and Donatello were staring at her while she ate as well, probably wondering if she would all of the sudden get up and run away.

"Would you like me to take you home?" Leonardo offered quietly as she neared her last few bites. "It's getting really late."

"Sure." She answered, giving him a small smile.

He stood up from his spot on the couch and motioned for her to lead the way. She wiped her hands on her jeans and then gathered up her things.

"I'll see you guys soon, yeah?" Arelle said to Leonardo's brothers sweetly.

They all nodded back to her in reply, each one looking happy that she had acknowledged them. Leonardo couldn't help but feel a bit relieved: promises of seeing them again meant that she planned on returning to the sewers in the future. Maybe he hadn't scared her off after all.

As he and Arelle walked, Leonardo didn't want to be the one to break the silence between them first. He didn't know a lot about girls, and his small amount of knowledge came from the stupid comedy movies that Mikey constantly made him watch, but he did know that females needed space. He knew that trying to pry into her private thoughts would only make him seem like an overbearing asshole. So, although he was extremely curious as to what she was thinking, he didn't want to risk offending her. He would wait for her to come to him.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Why are you avoiding talking to me?" Arelle questioned him all of the sudden.

"I'm not avoiding you." Leonardo hastily replied. "I was just giving you time to process."

"You don't need to act all weird around me now."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. And you acting weird is making _me_ act weird. So stop." She said seriously, although she was looking at him with kindness in her eyes. "Nothing has changed between us."

 _Between us._ _Between us. Between us._

Her words echoed inside of Leonardo's mind. She made it sound like there was something happening with them - like there actually was an "us" to speak of. Again, Leonardo turned to the small amount of knowledge that he had about girls.

Was practically kidnapping a girl and forcing them to steal medical supplies actually a way to get that girl to like you?

"Okay." He finally managed to say, his voice breaking just a little bit at the end.

Of course, she noticed, and gave him a wide, knowing smile. Nothing got past Arelle - it was like she could read his every move and see all of his thoughts. Leonardo didn't know what to do. He wasn't like Mikey - he couldn't just throw himself out there and risk Arelle thinking he was a creep for even thinking that they could be together.

The whole dating topic had been a common one lately. April's discovery of them had made that concept a hard one to deny. Leonardo knew that he and his brothers were technically more human than turtle - at least, that was how he felt most of the time, and with April hanging around with her pretty eyes, smooth skin, and gorgeous smile it had made him feel more "normal" than ever before. But now, with Arelle, he realized just how little he truly felt for April. Arelle was a whole other story with the mischievous arch of her eyebrows and the way her hips swayed when she walked. He noticed things about her that he had never noticed with April.

"You're doing it _agaaain._ " Arelle teased him in a sing-song voice. "What are you thinking about so seriously?"

Leonardo glanced over at her shyly. "Nothing that would interest you."

Her face fell slightly. "Oh."

Leonardo wanted to kick himself for being so rude - he hadn't meant to. He was a skilled ninja, a leader, and the oldest of his brothers: shouldn't he feel confident when talking to girls?

"I just mean, I think I've shared enough for one night. If I tell you all of my secrets, then you won't have a reason to come back." Leonardo added quickly, giving her a smile of his own.

Instantly, she perked up. "Oh, I'll most certainly be coming back. Don't you worry about that."

 _There. That's better._ He thought to himself as they approached her manhole.

"Thanks for... telling me everything. I could sense that it was something you didn't really want to do." Arelle said, biting her bottom lip noticeably.

"You're welcome." Leonardo replied, swallowing hard as he observed her mouth. "Have a good ni-"

He stopped short as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her whole body against his chest. Arelle was warm, soft, and smelled wonderful as he carefully hugged her back. It was a brief embrace, but it was one that knocked the wind out of him completely.

"Goodnight." Arelle said, giving him a small wave and then leaving.

He could sense that the embrace had affected her too.

Leonardo smiled all the way home, his expression only changing when he came across Raphael sitting in the living room watching TV by himself.

"Hey," Leonardo greeted him. He sat down next to his brother. "What did you and Arelle talk about today in Splinter's room?"

An odd look crossed Raphael's face. "Nothin'."

"Nothing?" Leonardo pressed.

"Yup."

Of course, Leonardo didn't believe him, but since Arelle hadn't seemed bothered by Raphael, he figured that nothing bad had happened.

"She's actually pretty cool." Raphael said suddenly, his eyes fixed on the screen. "I mighta been wrong about her."

For the second time that night, Leonardo felt like the wind had just been knocked out him.

Raphael had just admitted that he was wrong, and that never happened. Ever.

It seemed as though Arelle's presence in their lives would be changing quite a few things.

* * *

Leonardo sat up straight in his bed. Sweat rolled down his forehead, and he was panting heavily. He'd never, ever had a dream like... _that_ before.

He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was almost time for him to get up. He didn't really want to - he wanted to go back to sleep, and hopefully see her again. But, Splinter needed to be tended to, and so he stretched his arms above his head.

Images of the dream replayed over and over again in his mind. Again and again he felt Arelle's touch. Again and again her smile flashed in is eyes. Again and again -

 _"I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR SHELL OFF, MIKEY! CALL ME RACHAEL ONE MORE TIME AND I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"_

Leonardo sighed. Raphael's familiar raging bellow filled his ears. It was another typical morning, on another typical day.

 _No._ Leonardo reminded himself firmly. _No. Not typical._

Because normally, Leonardo didn't have desire filled thoughts of a girl haunting him.

But today, he most certainly would.

* * *

Arelle gulped.

She was shaking so badly that she could barely stand. What had originally started out as a great morning had turned into a nightmare.

When she had woken up that morning, all had been well. Hugging Leonardo last night had left her craving more - more of his touch, of his rough skin, of his strong arms. The story of his family had been enthralling, making her want to know everything about him. She thought about all the little signs that she could see in his actions that showed he was attracted to her too. She pictured his blue eyes, and how they had been so serious, so emotion filled, as he had told her about his past. It had all completely swept her away...

Now, however, her thoughts were far from Leonardo.

Arelle was standing outside of the hospital's human resources department, waiting for someone to come and get her. Even though no specifics had been told to her, she knew what this was about... She knew that they had found out about her stealing. There was no other reason that could have dragged her away from her morning rounds so abruptly.

Arelle had never been caught before. She didn't feel the rush that she had expected, or the belief that things would work out - no, she only felt a cold, creeping sense of dread.

"Arelle Walsh?"

She looked up from the ground quickly, taking in the sight of a tall, beefy security guard standing before her. She nodded slightly.

"Come with me." He ordered.

Arelle followed him slowly towards one of the offices, unsure what to expect next. There was an older women sitting behind the desk inside the room and she was looking at Arelle darkly as she entered. The women motioned for her to take a seat as the security guard closed the door sharply.

"I am Linda Goodard, the Human Resources Director here at the hospital." The woman began, not a hint of warmth in her tone. "Do you know why you are here?"

"No." Arelle answered, trying hard to keep her voice even.

"I've been asked to speak with you on behalf of the hospital in regards to an incident of theft we have recently become aware of. An investigation has begun and I'm afraid you have been named as a suspect. I'm sorry to inform you that you have been suspended from your position until further notice."

"What?" Arelle breathed out in shock, almost falling out of her chair.

"You are the only medical student who has been named in the report. We do not take these matters lightly, Miss Walsh. Depending on what the investigation turns up, you could be in very serious trouble. I suggest that if you can prove you are not the thief in question, that you do so as soon as you can." Linda continued, barely skipping a beat. It sounded as though she was reading from a script. "We will contact you as soon as more information arises. You will be escorted from the property after you have gathered your things."

Arelle's ears were ringing. She couldn't believe that this was happening... After so many times stealing, of course this time would be when she got caught.

Sensing that the women was finished, Arelle stood up and left the office quickly. She would not let anyone here she her cry. The security guard did indeed follow her as she went to the locker room to gather up her backpack and coat. Luckily, none of her friends were there to see her walk of shame - she had no idea how she would explain this to them.

Arelle practically ran out of the hospital and only made it half a block away before she broke down. The realness of what had just happened was setting in.

This was it. She had finally done it: she had finally fucked up her life for good.

* * *

By the time Arelle made it home, she'd already made a complete fool of herself. People had stared at her as she walked by them sobbing, her nose and make up running. Her mother's car was still parked out front, much to her dismay. Arelle prayed that she could sneak past her mother and into her room without being seen.

She opened the front door slowly, peering down the hall and listening for any sounds. It seemed as though her mom was back in her art studio. The front of the apartment was quiet and still. It was just as she was reaching for her room's doorknob, when her mother appeared out of nowhere.

"Arelle, honey, we need to talk."

Arelle could tell by her mother's tone that she knew what had happened. Exactly how she had found out, she wasn't so sure, but she slowly turned around to face her mom, steeling herself for whatever was about to go down.

"I can explain." Arelle said quickly, instantly regretting it, because no, she really couldn't explain.

"So, you did do it?" Her mom questioned. "You stole from the hospital?"

"Well... No... I mean, yes, but no. I had a reason." Arelle stuttered desperately.

Her mother sighed deeply. "There is no reason you could possibly give me that would solve this, Arelle. What in God's name were you thinking?!"

"I had to do it." Arelle defended herself, folding her arms across her chest. "You know I would never do such a thing unless I had a good reason."

Her mom seemed to not hear the words. "I don't understand why you would ruin your future like that! After all that Alan and I have sacrificed for you... And you just throw it away."

"What?" Arelle questioned sharply. "What has Alan ever sacrificed for me? I did all this on my own, and you know it. And if I fucked it up, I didn't that on my own too. _I had a reason_."

Arelle's mother scoffed. "You need to get your priorities in line if you think that there is ever a good reason to steal. If they prove that you did it, you've just ruined your career! Did you even think about that? I mean, I know you went through a dark phase in high school, but I thought you were past that now."

"I am." Arelle stated through clenched teeth. "I'm a different person now, and you know it."

"Obviously, you aren't. I think that you need to get a taste of reality so that you can start making better choices."

"What?!" Arelle practically shrieked. "A taste of reality? Really? You don't think I got enough of that when I was younger and we had no money? You don't think I got taste of reality practically raising myself because you had to work all the time?"

"How dare you say that to me! I had to do that!" Arelle's mother yelled.

"I know. I'm not saying that you did anything wrong. I'm just saying, I'm no stranger to reality." Arelle said quickly, not wanting to hurt her mother. "Those are Alan's words, not yours. I'm not stupid - I'm sure you've already called him. How did you even find out about all this?" Arelle questioned, trying to get her anger under control.

"Your school called and said that you needed to come in and fill out some paper work due to your suspension. When I said that I was your mother, they told me you had been asked to step away due to a pending theft investigation at the hospital." Her mother explained. "I called Alan to get legal advice because I believed that you hadn't done it. But, I see now that I was wrong."

The words felt like a slap across Arelle's face. Her and her mother had always had each other's backs... Arelle had expected her mom to be upset, but not to be this cruel, this distrusting.

"Do you even care why I did it?" Arelle asked quietly.

"No. I don't, honey. There is no reason you could give me that would excuse this kind of behavior." Her mother sighed. "I think it would be best if you moved out, Arelle. Obviously, living here is not allowing you to mature the way that you should be."

"Are you serious?" Arelle retorted. "Did Alan tell you to say that?"

"You need to get over your issues with Alan. Yes, he thinks this is for the best, but so do I. I know that you have money to find a place of your own. I think it will be good for you! It's not like I'm kicking you out right here, right now. You can take a few weeks to look around and find a place that you like."

Arelle shook her head. "No. I'll be gone by tonight."

"Arelle, you don't need to be so dramatic. Try to look at this from a parent's point of view." Her mother pleaded.

Arelle could see that her mom was fighting with herself over the words that she was speaking. Alan had obviously blown up about the suspension. Even if Arelle had been innocent, she had a feeling that he still would have used the situation to drive her out of the house.

It had been coming for a while. Arelle had just been trying to fight it.

"Maybe you're right." Arelle said softly, starting to step backwards toward her room. "Maybe this is for the best."

Arelle gave her mom a small, sad smile. If her mother was so easily influenced by Alan, then she really didn't have a home here anymore anyways. Where she would go, she wasn't exactly sure, but she wouldn't stay in this house any longer than she had to.

Yes, she had actually stolen from the hospital, and her mom had every right to be disappointed. But, Arelle was a good person. Her mom should have known that if Arelle had stolen then there had to be a reason. It seemed as though her mother's faith was clouded by Alan though, and it broke Arelle's heart to be doubted so deeply by someone that she loved.

Arelle began to pack up her things as more tears started to fall.


	7. Chapter 7: War

Leonardo looked down at his T-Phone in shock when it began to buzz beside him.

He had been sitting in his room, absentmindedly playing video games and trying to clear his mind of the drama that had ensued earlier in the day. It had taken hours to calm Raphael down and convince him that killing their youngest brother wouldn't be the greatest idea. Donatello had holed himself up inside of his lab the moment the fighting had began, so he hadn't exactly been much help.

Once Leonardo had managed to get Raphael under control, the rest of the afternoon had been spent tending to Splinter. His brothers seemed to forget that since Splinter was not capable of caring for himself right now, simple things like washing the linens and making sure he was clean now fell upon them. Of course, Leonardo was the only one who could handle these tasks without falling apart. April did what she could, but there was only so much Leonardo could ask her to do. Most of the duties fell onto him. This hadn't come as a shock. He had seen movies about children taking care of their ailing parents many times before and almost always it was the oldest sibling who took over the responsibilities.

The more Leonardo thought about it, the more he realized that if Splinter were to die, he would no longer be just the oldest brother and the leader - he would also, in a sense, become their guardian and their parent. He would have to take the role as the head of the family. He would be the one to make sure that his brothers stayed alive.

Now, as Leonardo stared at the phone number on the screen, a small flash of happiness ran through him.

It was Arelle.

"Hello?" He answered quickly, realizing that his deep thoughts had almost made him miss the call completely.

"Hey."

Immediately, he knew that something was wrong. Her voice did not sound like it usually did.

"Everything okay, Arelle?" Leonardo questioned her.

"Kinda..." She said slowly. "I was actually hoping that I could crash on your couch tonight."

"What?" He replied in shock. "I mean, yes, of course you can, but what happened?"

"Long story." Arelle said, though he could hear her let out a sigh of relief at his answer.

"Where are you?"

"Uhhh... Sitting by the manhole in the alley."

"Stay where you are. I'm coming." Leonardo said firmly, then hung up the phone.

He had already left his room and was hurrying towards the front door.

"Where you runnin' off to?" Raphael asked from his spot on the couch as Leonardo practically flew by him.

The question was left unanswered. Leonardo didn't feel like filling Raphael in until he knew exactly what was going on with Arelle.

When he reached the manhole, he climbed up the latter and pushed it aside easily. A moment latter, Arelle dropped a large bag down and then joined him in the sewer. She had her usual backpack with her, but this time it was obviously stuffed full. Leonardo picked up the other bag for her. He could see that she had been crying. Her eyes were lined with red, as was her nose, and her cheeks were flushed.

"What is going on?" Leonardo pressed her carefully as they began to walk.

She sighed. "Can we not talk about it right now?"

Arelle sounded completely defeated. There was none of her usual spunk in her step or coyness in her voice. She was staring ahead vacantly - she hadn't even looked at him once yet. Leonardo was deeply troubled by all of these things, but he wasn't sure if it was his place to demand the truth from her. At least, not yet. Something bad had obviously happened, and he knew that he needed to let her process whatever it was before he made her discuss it.

"I promise I'll only stay a couple of nights." She said quietly.

"You can stay as long as you need." He assured her.

"Any change in Splinter since yesterday?"

"No."

They both fell silent again. That news seemed to sadden Arelle even more. He didn't know what to say to her - although being around April had helped, he still wasn't very good at communicating with human girls. They were far more complicated than movies and books made them seem.

Raphael was still sitting in front of the TV when they arrived back to the lair. He took in the sight of Arelle and her bags curiously, but thankfully he didn't speak. Leonardo flashed him a warning glare to keep his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was for Raphael to be his usual inconsiderate self and start hounding Arelle.

Leonardo set her bag beside the couch, then turned back to his brother.

"Arelle is going to to stay here for a few nights. Can you help me get her some blankets and a pillow?"

Raphael gave him a confused look, but nodded.

Arelle was still standing by the front door, looking small and young, her eyes dropping to the floor with what Leonardo assumed to be embarrassment. Again, Leonardo wanted to comfort her, but he wasn't sure how. He and Raphael went to gather up the things she would need, and the minute they were out of earshot, Raphael began asking questions.

"What's goin' on? Why is she stayin' here?"

"I'm not sure." Leonardo replied simply, gathering up one of his extra blankets off of his bead and then heading towards Mikey's room - his youngest brother was a notorious pillow hoarder.

"You didn't ask?" Raphael replied.

"I did. She said that she didn't want to talk about it yet."

"You think it's got somethin' to do with what she did for Splinter?" Raphael asked.

Leonardo stopped walking. He hadn't even thought about that.

"Look, I can see that you care 'bout her man, but we gotta be carefu-"

"Raph." Leonardo interrupted him sharply. "Lets give her one night to calm down before we start attacking her and assuming the worst, alright?"

"Fine." Raphael huffed. "I'll be in my room in you need me."

Leonardo knocked on Mikey's door after watching his other brother walk back down the hallway. Now that Raphael had put that thought into his head, he couldn't seem to shake it free.

Was Arelle in trouble now because of him?

"'Sup?" Mikey answered as he pulled open the door, the smell of old pizza and sweaty feet rolling out into the hall.

"I need a pillow." Leonardo stated. He hoped that he could get through this without having to answer more questions.

"Uh, sure." Mikey replied suspiciously. He disappeared for a moment, then came back with one that was stained with what looked like pizza sauce. Or blood. Either was bad.

"You don't have a cleaner one?"

"Dude, why do you care?" Mikey said, his eyes narrowing.

Leonardo let out a deep sigh. "It's for Arelle."

Mikey's lips spread into a wide grin. "Oh, yeah? Slumber party?"

"No. Well, kinda... But not in the way you're thinking." Leonardo snapped, giving his brother a firm look. "She just needs a place to stay for a couple nights."

"So she called you?"

"Yes."

Mikey smiled again. "Sweet."

"Do you have the pillow or not?" Leonardo asked, growing tired of his brother's creepy smiles. There was only so much he could handle in one day.

"Hold on."

Mikey vanished again, this time reappearing with a pillow that was almost entirely white. It would have to do. Leonardo left his brother's doorway quickly. Arelle was sitting on the couch when he returned. She didn't seem to hear him as he approached, but then her eyes finally slide up to his face when he came up beside her.

"Here." Leonardo said as he handed her the blanket and pillow. "Do you need anything else?"

"No." She replied softly, shaking her head. "Thank you, Leonardo."

The way she said his name made a shiver run down his shell. Even though she wasn't herself, the vulnerability her in her expression, her voice, and her mannerisms made him want nothing more than to protect her. All of his life, Splinter had ingrained the desire to help people inside of his mind - first with protecting his brothers, then with protecting innocent people from the Foot Clan and the Shredder. Now, he felt that he needed to keep Arelle safe.

 _If I brought trouble into her life, I'll never be able to forgive myself._

"Are you sure you won't tell me what is going on?" He questioned, keeping him voice gentle, hopefully showing her that he wasn't trying to be intrusive.

"Not tonight." Arelle said.

"Tomorrow then." He said firmly, fixing his blue eyes on her.

"Yes, sir."

There was a tiny hint of playfulness in her voice and a weak smile tugged at the corners of her lips. It gave Leonardo hope. Maybe she just needed to get away from home for a little while. Maybe she'd had a fight with someone. Maybe he hadn't been the cause of her sudden need of a place to stay.

"Goodnight." Leonardo said. "You know where my room is if you need anything else."

Arelle nodded slightly. "Sleep tight."

He could feel her eyes on his back as he walked away.

* * *

Arelle was completely lost inside.

As she stared after Leonardo, tears began to fall down her cheeks. She hadn't cried this much in years. It wasn't like her to feel so weak, so defeated. She was the type of girl who fought back. She was the type who had pulled her life from the depths of despair and become a completely new person.

But now she was homeless... She sleeping in the sewer with four mutant turtles and a dying rat.

A sob erupted in her throat. _Why is Splinter not getting better?_

She was both a failure as a daughter and as a doctor.

Not wanting to fully lose herself in her misery, Arelle stood up and started digging around for her pajamas. She knew that sleep wouldn't come to her that night, but she needed to try. If Leonardo really was going to force her to tell him the truth in the morning, she'd need to have her thoughts gathered. She glanced back towards the hallway, wondering if it was safe to try and change without going some place private. It didn't seem like any of the brothers were awake, and so she quickly pulled off her clothes and got into her sleepwear. Once that had been done, she pulled her hair back and made up the couch.

There was a war brewing between her two personalities.

One side of her was almost happy that she had pretty much just been kicked out of med school. Even though she enjoyed helping people, she didn't feel like herself anymore. Every day she would wake up early, put on little to no make up and her scrubs. She would talk about responsible adult things with her friends and then go home right after her shift so that she could go to bed early.

She missed the days of dark eyeliner, parties, and feeling like the world was her playground after dark.

Arelle had been fighting with herself for a long time. She just hadn't wanted to admit it.

Enter Leonardo and his impossible mission.

He had all but handed a recovering addict a needle and bag of drugs. He'd offered her a way out, and he hadn't even been aware of it. She had been thinking of jumping ship long before she had stolen the medicine for Splinter. She had just lacked the nerve to do it.

So now, here she was: Arelle was torn in two.

One part of her felt free while the other felt like she was sinking.

One part of her was falling for the blue masked turtle.

The other part of her wished that she had never met him.


	8. Chapter 8: Pain

When Arelle woke the next morning, it took her a moment to remember where she was. The events of the day before came flooding back to her and she tried not to cringe. It almost felt worse, now that she had woken up and realized that it all hadn't just been an awful dream.

 _No, not a dream. A nightmare_ _._ She thought bitterly.

She sat up and stretched, surprised that her back and neck weren't aching after sleeping on the couch all night. It was actually quite comfortable. Since there were no windows in the turtle's lair, she couldn't get a good guess of what time it was. She pulled her bag over and dug through it until she located her phone. It was 6 AM. It didn't appear as though any of the brothers were awake and so she didn't bother getting dressed for the day just yet.

Arelle was just about to head for the bathroom when she heard some odd noises coming from the hallway that lead to where Splinter was. Feeling a jolt of hope - had he woken up?! - she practically ran to the doorway in hopes of seeing him up and walking around. What she found instead, made her heart all but shatter in her chest.

 _Of course._

Splinter's bed had been stripped. The old sheets had been placed in a basket at the end of the bed, while a fresh set was sitting on top of the mattress, waiting to be put on. There also appeared to be a clean robe laying beside the linens. The noises were coming from another room off to the right, one that she hadn't noticed before. She could hear running water. Quietly, Arelle crept over to the doorway and saw Leonardo bent over a make-shift bathtub. He was washing off his Sensei, bent over his frail body, carefully taking care of him.

Arelle flipped around and pinned herself against the wall, out of sight. She had to fight back tears.

 _Of course._

Of course it had fallen upon Leonardo, the oldest, most responsible brother, to take care of his father. Splinter couldn't change his sheets, he couldn't bath himself. Who else was there to help him?

Leonardo. There was only Leonardo.

Arelle knew how hard it must have been on him. In best case scenarios, parents grow old gracefully, able to take care of themselves until the end of their time. Their children forever remain children. But in the worst case scenarios, when parents grow old and frail, or sick, like Splinter, the children must become the parent and take care of them. She knew from med school how hard it was to take care of the ill, how helpless families feel when a loved one can no longer look after themselves. Its hard enough when you have a whole group of support, but for someone like Leonardo, who was pretty much all on his own...

She couldn't imagine how he must feel.

Not wanting to interrupt the private moment she had just witnessed, Arelle hurried out of the room and back into the couch.

* * *

Leonardo laid Splinter down on the freshly made bed gently. Once he was satisfied that his father was comfortable, he left his bedside and went to see if Arelle had woken up yet. She had been so peaceful when he had walked by her earlier, all curled up on her side, her shoulders rising slightly as she breathed. He had smiled and wanted nothing more than to push the hair out of her eyes and feel the softness of her pink cheeks.

Now, the couch was bare. The blankets had been folded and stacked neatly. At first, he was worried that she had left without saying goodbye, but then he saw that her bag was still sitting on the floor and he let out a sigh of relief.

And then he heard yelling.

" _Don't you know how to fucking knock?!_ "

Arelle. It was Arelle who had shrieked in anger.

Leonardo ran to the bathroom, guessing to see either Mikey or Raphael at the scene of the crime. He was right in his guess - Raphael was standing in front of the door, looking stupefied.

"What is going on?" Leonardo demanded angrily.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Leonardo peered around the corner into the bathroom. Arelle was standing before him and his brother in a lacy pair of underwear and a matching bra. Instead of looking ashamed by her nakedness, she just looked pissed. Her hands were planted firmly on her hips and she was glaring hard at the two of them.

"Jesus Christ." She snapped, noticing the deer-in-the-headlights look Leonardo knew he was probably giving her. "Have you guys really never seen a naked girl before?"

"Naked? Whose naked?!" Called Mikey from somewhere down the hallway.

Leonardo sprung into action. He whirled around and shoved Raphael out of the way, quickly slamming the bathroom door behind him, just as Mikey was about to get a look at Arelle as well. He rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself down before he murdered Raphael for having started the whole situation in the first place.

"I forgot she was here." Raphael shrugged. "My bad."

"Was she really naked?" Mikey asked excitedly.

"Shut up, Mikey." Leonardo huffed at his youngest brother.

 _Great, now she'll never come back._

 _"_ Clear out guys." He told his two brothers. "Let her have her privacy."

"I need to piss, bro." Raphael complained. "I didn't knock cause I didn't think anyone was in there. I waited like five minutes before I went in. How long does it take to change clothes?"

"Deal with it, Raph." Leonardo said sharply before turning to go back to the living room.

He was thinking up apologies in his head when Arelle finally came back. She fixed him with a firm look, one that wasn't exactly cold, but more scolding.

"Well that was fun." She said sarcastically.

Leonardo felt himself relax a little bit. She didn't appear to be too mad at him.

"I'm really sorry, Arelle." He said earnestly. "Raphael has no manners."

"I know." She replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "You were staring pretty hard too though, ya know."

Leonardo felt his face grow warm. "I just wasn't... expecting... that."

" _That_?" Arelle repeated mockingly. "You mean, me in my underwear."

He managed to nod in reply. His mouth was dry, both from embarrassment and the vision of her almost naked popping back up in his head.

"I'd understand if you don't want to stay here again tonight, but if you do, I promise you it won't happen again." Leonardo told her seriously.

"Relax." She chuckled. "It's not a huge deal. And yeah, I will stay here again, if that's alright."

"Of course." He replied, feeling a huge wave of relief rush over him that she wasn't totally freaked out. "Want to tell me what happened now?"

Arelle's whole demeanor changed at once. The mischievousness fell away from her face and her body seemed to visibly go stiff. Whatever had happened, it wasn't something she was going to willingly tell him. But, Leonardo needed to know. Not just because he was concerned about her, but because Raphael had a point when he said that they had to be careful. No matter how much Leonardo cared for Arelle, his family, and his family's safety, always came first.

"Arelle?" He pressed softly. "Talk to me."

She let out a long sigh. He could tell that there was a struggle going on inside of her.

"My stepdad and mom kicked me out." Arelle finally admitted quietly. "It's a long story. But it's been coming for a while."

"Why did they do that?" Leonardo asked.

She fixed him with a dark expression, her eyes bottomless, emotionless. It was a sight that Leonardo hated to see.

"I'm not who they want me to be." She said simply.

Leonardo watched her carefully as she spoke.

He had three younger brothers. He was a ninja, trained by a very talented Sensei. He had successfully fought and defeated a power hungry mad man.

Therefore, it was pretty easy for him to tell when someone was lying to him.

 _But why?_ He questioned himself. _Why is she lying to me?_

Maybe what had happened between her and her family was too personal to share just yet. Maybe it actually had nothing to do with her family at all. Either way, Arelle was definitely keeping something from him. She was a good liar, far better than Mikey, and even Raphael, who was pretty decent at hiding the truth. But the signs were there. He could almost sense it, smell it in the air.

She was looking back at him, her eyes still two pits of nothing. There was none of her usual glimmer, her spark. Whatever was going on inside of her head was causing her a great amount of pain.

And despite being upset that she didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth, Leonardo trusted her.

He trusted that she wouldn't put his family in danger. Whatever was going on, he knew that it wouldn't blow back on him. She just needed time before she would feel comfortable enough to open up to him completely. And he would give it to her.

* * *

Lying to Leonardo was one of the hardest things that Arelle had ever done.

She couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth, not after seeing him that morning, caring for Splinter. He already had so much pain in his life - he didn't need to shoulder her burden as well. She knew that he would blame himself for what had happened to her. It was the kind of person that he was.

She was the kind of person who swallowed her pain, and forced herself to keep on breathing.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her, thankfully letting the subject go.

"Starving." Arelle admitted with a small smile.

Leonardo nodded, then, much to her surprise, he reached out and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it lightly before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

She remained on the couch for a moment, then got up to go and check on Splinter while Leonardo prepared the food.

The elderly rat didn't appear to have made any process. His breathing still seemed labored and his forehead was still damp from sweat. He looked better than he had that first night, but all in all, Splinter was still struggling. Arelle tentatively gathered up one of his paws in her hands.

"Please get better..." She whispered. "Please, Splinter. Leonardo needs you. Your sons need you."

And then something happened.

His eyes fluttered a few times before they opened. They were murky, not clear by any means, but they were open. He seemed to struggle to keep them that way, blinking very slowly once, twice, and then turning his head ever-so-slightly to face her. Arelle's breath caught in her throat.

 _Is this really happening?!_ Her mind was screaming.

"You're... not... April." Splinter managed to say, his voice raspy, weak from not having been used in such a long time. She'd barely heard him.

Arelle almost wanted to laugh at the statement, but instead she just started to cry joyfully as Splinter slipped back into his deep sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Hope

Later that afternoon, the vibe inside of the turtle's lair had changed completely. Mikey was joking around with Donatello, who had finally come out of hiding. Raphael was kicked back on the couch watching something on TV, and Leonardo was talking excitedly with April on the phone. News of Splinter's sudden burst of consciousness seemed to have ignited faith in each of the brothers. He had actually spoke, been aware of his surroundings, and not just asked for water or something along those lines. It was a good sign - a great sign, actually.

 _Now if only his fever would break..._

Arelle shook her head. Now was not the time to be negative. Instead, she focused on the turtles, and smiled at the sight. Even though she hadn't known them for long, or back when Splinter was healthy, this was how she had always imagined them: lively, playful, with high spirits and their distinct personalities shining through.

She saw the way Leonardo's blue eyes shone as he spoke. They were more vibrant than she had ever seen them, and the smile on his face was a whole other matter. It took her to far away places, ones that made her wonder what the future might hold between her and the blue-masked turtle. If Splinter really did pull through, and things were able to go back to normal, would she still spend her time in the sewers with the brothers? Would they still want her to come back, even though they would no longer need her help?

Arelle hoped that they would.

Leonardo hung up the phone and came over to stand by her side.

"April should be here soon." He said, beaming down at Arelle happily before addressing his brothers. "Hey, Mikey and Donnie, wanna order some pizzas?"

"You know it dude." Mikey agreed enthusiastically.

He and the purple-masked turtle hurried off to do their task.

"Wanna come with me to get some sodas?" Leonardo asked, turning back to Arelle, and she nodded in reply.

He lead her down the hallway past his bedroom and a few other doors, before finally stopping in front of one. Leonardo threw a long look back the way that they had come from, then, appearing satisfied that no one had followed them, opened the door slowly. Inside, boxes were stacked up against the walls of the closest. He reached in and lifted a few of the lids to reveal quite the stash of drinks. Arelle raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Mikey." Leonardo said simply.

"Soda addict?" She replied with a smirk.

"He can go through two cases a day if we don't keep an eye on him. Donatello isn't much better though. He'll lock himself inside of his lab and do nothing but experiment and drink soda all day, then come out and be all hyped up on sugar. It's hilarious, but probably not too healthy." Leonardo elaborated, chuckling to himself.

Arelle threw her head back at laughed as she pictured the scene in her mind.

"You be the look out." Leonardo then told her, giving her a playful wink, one that made her heart fall all the way down to her toes.

He began to gather up a few cases of soda and he didn't struggle at all as he held them all under one arm. Arelle watched, impressed, because she could barely carry two cases up the steps at the apartment without feeling like her limbs were going to fall off by the time she got to the top.

"So... Donatello has a lab?" She questioned him curiously.

"Yeah. He's responsible for all of the technology around here."

"Like your phone?" She went on.

"Mhm."

"Huh. I haven't really seen him around much, so I didn't really know what he was... like." Arelle said carefully.

"Donnie blames himself for what happened to Splinter." Leonardo said as he put all the lids back on the boxes and closed the closet door.

"Why on Earth would he do that?" Arelle asked in shock.

"Donnie has an invention that can pick up on potential health risks. For some reason, it didn't notify us of the infection until it was too late to do anything to stop it from spreading. He believes that if his invention had worked better, then none of this would have happened in the first place." Leonardo explained, a hint of sadness in his tone. "So, he has been working 24/7 on trying to figure out why the device failed."

"That's awful." Arelle said softly.

"He's... a bit more sensitive than the rest of us. He can't always separate himself from the bad things that happen." Leonardo replied as they began to head back to the living room.

"But you can?"

"I have to." He said plainly.

"Do you want some help carrying those?" Arelle asked after a moment, wanting to change the subject before things got too heavy. Of course it didn't look like Leonardo was struggling, but she didn't want to be rude.

"No." He said. "Just don't tell Mikey where the hiding spot is."

"My lips are sealed." Arelle promised.

* * *

April arrived not too long after the pizza. After going to sit with Splinter for a moment, she joined the others. The brothers were in the middle of an epic game of Halo. All of their television sets were linked up to the game so that they could all play at once. Arelle was watching from afar, giggling at the competitiveness that had erupted.

April came over to her when she had escaped to the kitchen to grab some more food.

"Boys." April said, shaking her head and then playfully rolling her eyes.

"Boys." Arelle agreed. "Always entertaining."

"So... Leo says that you're staying here for a few days? Everything alright?"

April's tone was casual, but Arelle could read the hidden meaning in the question: _you had better not hurt them._ Arelle understood the protectiveness that April probably felt over the brothers. She had been the first human that they had ever let into their lives and she had helped them defeat the Shredder. She had earned the right to ask those kind of questions, even if Arelle wasn't really sure how to answer them.

"Family stuff." She finally replied, shrugging. "My stepdad and I don't really get along. I'm in the process of moving out."

April nodded, like she could relate. "Why'd you wait so long to leave?"

"I was in school, so it was just easier to live at home. It's not exactly easy to afford a place by myself in the city." Arelle explained.

"Was?" April asked.

"Hmm?"

"Was in school? I thought you still were?" April clarified.

Arelle tried to keep her expression neutral. "Well, I still am, technically. I'm just not in a classroom everyday anymore, so it kind of already feels like I graduated."

"Ah." April responded.

Arelle's stomach twisted at the mention of med school and her now ended career. She hadn't heard anything from the hospital yet, but she didn't see anyway that she would get out of the situation without consequences. She deserved what she got, that much she knew, but it still stung.

"Leonardo seems to really like you." April went on. This time, her tone nothing but soft and kind. There were no silent warnings.

Arelle smiled. "Not sure why he does, but I'm glad that you think so."

"They're special, you know? They're not like other... people." April said, a faraway expression crossing her pretty features.

"I know what you mean." Arelle agreed. "Even though it was under terrible circumstances, I'm glad that I met them."

"Yeah. I feel the same way."

A question popped into Arelle's mind. She wanted to ask it, but part of her was unsure whether or not it would offend April.

"So... You and Mikey seem very close." Arelle began hesitantly.

April chuckled. "Ah yes. He's a great friend."

"It seems like... He wants more."

"He's got a way with words. I'll give him that." April said. "But, it would never be like that between us."

"Oh yeah, of course." Arelle said quickly. "That would be... Weird."

"To say the least." April agreed. "I mean, I love them, don't get me wrong, but it just wouldn't be... right. They're family."

"Yeah." Arelle replied weakly. "I can see that."

 _I could think of Raphael, Mikey, and Donatello as family. Easily._ Arelle pondered as she waited for April to gather up her own plate of food. _But Leonardo..._

But Leonardo was a completely different story.

* * *

When the girl's returned from the kitchen, Leonardo and Mikey had just beat Raphael and Donnie. Before things got too heated - or rather, before Raphael started to get too pissed about losing - Leonardo suggested that they stop playing. He moved over and made enough room for Arelle to sit next to him on one of the couches. He admired how small she was compared to him. Her head was barely even equal with his shoulder when they were side by side, which was oddly attractive to him. She looked up at him suddenly, and discovered him peering down at her. Instead of being embarrassed by getting caught, he just smiled down at her.

The flush that began to spread over her cheeks made his smile grow even wider.

He then noticed that April was watching them. He felt her eyes on him first, then turned his head to see her studying his interaction with Arelle. Leonardo knew that he probably should have done a better job of hiding the fact that his feelings for Arelle were growing, and would probably reach far beyond friendship by the time they were done. Leonardo wondered if April would disapprove of that. Her current expression was mostly unreadable. He'd have to speak to her later about this topic, but for now, he wasn't going to worry.

They were gathered to celebrate the good news about Splinter and that was all he wanted to focus on.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon and evening went by without too much excitement. A few movies were watched, all the pizza was eaten, and all the soda drank. Raphael had behaved himself, Mikey had flirted endlessly with April, Donatello actually seemed to be enjoying himself, and Leonardo finally seemed to be slightly more at ease.

And Arelle. She only felt pleasure that ruining her career had atlleast been for the greater good. It had been to save a life, and so far, it seemed like she had succeeded in doing that. As the night went on, a tiny bit of peace found it's way into her heart. She could find a new career, one that suited her personality more. One that made her feel alive, and not make her feel like she was living a lie. She could do it. She could - no, she _would_ \- move past her current mistakes.

When the mess from dinner had been cleaned up, and April had headed back home, with Mikey as her escort to the manhole, Arelle found herself alone with Leonardo. Raphael had gone to bed and Donatello had gone back to his lab. All was quiet as her and the blue-masked brother sat next to each other on the couch. She sighed, tilting her head back against the cushions.

"I think I ate too much pizza." She said, frowning slightly.

Leonardo chuckled. "You might have even beat Mikey."

"Huh. I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of that." Arelle said, giggling nervously.

"I'm impressed."

"Well, you know what they say about girls with big appetites." Arelle replied deviously.

"I'm not sure that I do."

Arelle suddenly realized what she had just said, what she had just implied to someone who was very, very innocent.

 _Oh, shit Arelle. Way to go. Now what are you gonna say?_

"They say that they have big appetites for... other things."

 _Oh God, I'm such an idiot._

"I'll remember that." Leonardo replied, not seeming phased by her obvious flirting.

She looked up at him shyly. "I think I'm going to go brush my teeth and stuff..."

"I should be going to bed as well. Sweet dreams." Leonardo told her kindly.

"You too, Leo."

Without really thinking about it, Arelle sat up, and leaned forward to hug him. It was a quick embrace, because as soon as she touched his green skin, she realized that she only wanted to grab onto him even tighter.

She wanted to show him exactly how big of an appetite she really had.

Instead, Arelle hastily stood up and grabbed her bathroom things, then raced off down the hallway.

* * *

Arelle was woken up by strange noises in the middle of the night.

It was a light thudding sound, one that she couldn't quite place. She straightened and looked around the room, assuming at first that it was one of the brothers searching for a late night snack or needing a bathroom break.

And then, she flipped her head towards Splinter's room.

 _No. Oh fuck, no. No. No. No._

Arelle ran faster than she ever had before down the hallway. She slipped and fell, her feet having slide right out from under her on the hard ground. She landed sharply, almost falling so far forward that her head hit the cement floor. But she caught herself, scrambled to her feet, and entered the bedroom.

Splinter was seizing. Violently.

His thin limbs were flailing about wildly as his body convulsed and twisted. She hurried to his side and tried to steady him, thankful that she had gotten to him before he had dropped off of the bed.

" _HELP!_ " Arelle screamed as loud as she could.

Leonardo was the first to reach her.

"What is happening?!" He cried as he took in the situation.

Arelle could barely speak through her tears, her horror. "I don't know, I don't fucking know!"

He helped her keep Splinter still as Raphael entered the room next, followed closely by Donatello and Michelangelo.

" _Do something!_ " Raphael bellowed at her harshly. "Don't just stand there! _Do something!_ "

"I-I don't know wh-what to do!" Arelle shrieked, still fighting to keep Splinter from harming himself as his limbs strained against her grasp.

Raphael aggressively shoved her out of the way. Arelle hit the ground again, and this time, the pain caused her to yelp.

" _Raph!_ " Leonardo shouted, his eyes darting back and forth between Arelle and his brothers.

And then Splinter became limp.

Arelle almost passed out. She wasn't breathing, she wasn't blinking. She was in a full on panic, looking from each of the turtle's faces and then to the now still Splinter who was laying on the bed. His mouth was was hanging slightly open, but his chest was not rising or falling anymore.

It was a moment before the truth was realized. It was a long, heart wrenching moment before any of them moved. Arelle still sat on the ground, her legs unable to lift her back to her feet.

"Sensei?" Leonardo said quietly, large tears already rolling down his cheeks. "Father?"

He shook the rat's shoulder gently. Nothing.

"He's dead." Raphael growled, turning two rage-filled green eyes to Arelle. "You. Let. Him. _Die!_ "


	10. Chapter 10: Grief

Raphael lunged at Arelle. He grabbed her shoulders and dragged her to her feet. Instead of appearing afraid, she only seemed to be in a daze. She didn't struggle against his grasp.

Leonardo shook his head, fighting the sorrow that he felt over what had just happened. It didn't feel real yet. He'd never experienced the death of a loved one before. All of his past training seemed to fail him in that moment, as he stood, unable to make himself go after Raphael. Donatello was at his side now, and he removed his glasses as he bent over Splinter's body. His chest was heaving as he cried. Mikey had simply fallen to his knees by the doorway, his head in his hands. Leonardo looked back to his red-masked brother, ready to tear him away from Arelle if need be.

But, Arelle had pulled Raphael down to her. Her pale arms stood in contrast to his dark skin as they wrapped around his neck. Her eyes met with Leonardo over Raphael's shoulder.

They looked as hollow as he felt.

Knowing that he needed to take action and get his brothers away from the body, Leonardo took hold of Donatello's arm.

"Come on." He urged him gently.

"It's... all my fault." Donatello sobbed, unable to meet Leonardo's gaze. "I should have... done better... been smarter."

"Donnie," Leonardo said seriously. "This was beyond any of our control."

At his words, Raphael broke away from Arelle and stormed from the room. Mikey looked younger than normal as he watched his older brothers, searching each of their faces for what to do next.

"Go with Mikey." Leonardo told Donatello. "Make sure Raphael doesn't do anything stupid."

Donnie nodded weakly and left, Mikey trailing behind him wordlessly.

Now that his brothers were gone, Leonardo felt the pressure of having to keep a strong face on fade away. He slammed a fist down on the bedside table and it all but shattered from his strength. The items on the table's top flew everywhere. The sudden, sharp noise had made Arelle flinch, and he could see that he had truly frightened her.

He rarely let anger take hold over his spirit, but that was all he was willing to feel.

Sadness. Despair. Grief... Those emotions were too much for him to deal with. Anger was much easier, and so, for once, he let it consume him.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, seething, staring down at his father's body. His thoughts were a mess. He was aware of all the things that he needed to do: he'd need to bury the body. He'd need to clean out Splinter's room at one point. He'd need to call April and tell her the news. He'd need to fight to keep his family from falling apart.

He'd need to become everything he was afraid of becoming.

Arelle came over and placed her hand on his forearm.

"Say something." She pleaded sadly.

He could hear the guilt in her voice. He could sense it in the tentative way that her fingers were touching him. She wasn't sure if he even wanted her there with him. She wasn't sure if he blamed her for Splinter's death.

It would have been easy to put it all on her. It would have been so simple to yell at her, take his anger out on her. In that moment of losing himself to the rage that he felt in his heart, Leonardo wondered if he should do. Blame her. What would it really matter anyways? She was just a girl, a girl that he had dragged into this reality against her will. Maybe she was actually looking for a way out. Maybe by blaming her, punishing her, he would also be setting her free. She could leave the sewers and never come back. He would have someone to use as an excuse for why his father's life had to end. They could both move on.

Those thoughts went against Leonardo's very nature. They hurt him, deep inside of his core. The thoughts, the idea of pushing Arelle away just so he could have someone to blame for the tragedy, almost made him sick.

Before he could let himself fall prey to the rage anymore than he already had, he hugged Arelle. He probably squeezed her too tightly, but it felt like if he let go of her, he'd lose himself completely.

"I'm so sorry, Leonardo." She murmured against his chest.

He could hear the tears in her words.

As if a spell had been broken, the anger fell away. He felt like she had stripped him right down to the bone with her voice. The sadness, despair, and grief crashed over him. It hurt so badly that he sank down to his knees, but he didn't let her go. He pressed his head against her stomach, and she cradled him there for a long while.

* * *

Arelle knew that she had to be strong. Even though she felt a crushing sense of guilt over what had become of Splinter, it wouldn't do any of them any good if she fell apart. Donatello, Raphael, Mikey, and Leonardo needed a friend. They needed someone to help them, not drag them even deeper into their pain.

This wasn't about her. Her guilt, her sadness, none of it mattered. She had known - if you could even call it that - Splinter for only a few days.

The brothers had lost their father. The person who had raised them, protected them.

And so when Leonardo had finally regained some of his composure, Arelle had offered to be the one to call April. She knew it would do the turtles good to see her in their time of need, and so Arelle hurried into Leonardo's room to get his phone. It was exactly where he had said it would be, on his bedside table, and she did as he had instructed her: She pressed the number 6 and then the "call" button.

Arelle chewed on her nails as she waited for April to pick up.

 _What am I going to say to her?_

"Hey, Leo." April's voice finally said warmly.

"Uhm... This is Arelle. Something's happened." Arelle replied, fighting the sobs that were threatening to erupt in her throat. "Splinter... passed away."

"No." April responded sadly. "No..."

Arelle then heard her burst into tears.

* * *

Leonardo gathered April up into his arms as soon as she walked through their front door. He didn't speak to her, knowing that there was nothing he could say to her in that moment that would help. He then passed her off to Mikey. He knew that April would be to Mikey what Arelle had been to him. Despite Mikey's constant flirting, Leonardo knew that he truly cared for April. She would be his pillar, the thing that would keep him grounded until he found a way to move past Splinter's death.

"Can I see him?" April whimpered.

"Of course." Leonardo told her, giving her the saddest of smiles.

"Want me to go with you?" Mikey asked April.

She nodded, and they left the room together so that she could go and say goodbye. Arelle sighed heavily from beside Leonardo.

"I'm worried about Raphael and Donatello." Leonardo pondered aloud, more to himself than to her. "Mikey has April. They don't have anyone."

"And... you?" Arelle questioned him quietly.

"I have you." Leonardo said honestly.

More tears slipped down her cheeks at his statement. He reached out and put each of his large hands on either side of her face. It wasn't the perfect moment, not by any means, but Leonardo felt the tiniest speck of something aside from sorrow at the sight of Arelle.

She hadn't been able to save Splinter, but maybe that just wasn't meant to be. Maybe Splinter had been meant to die, and instead, Arelle was meant to save him.

 _"April, stop!"_

Leonardo's hands dropped away from Arelle's face, and he flipped around to see a very distraught April running towards him. Mikey was following closely behind her, his blue eyes wide with emotion.

"April?!" Leonardo cried in confusion, holding out a hand to slow her down.

"No." She said, pulling away from his reach fiercely. "This is all my fault. Just let me leave."

"This isn't your fault, April!" Mikey told her desperately.

"Yes it is!" She all but shrieked, her voice filled with pain. "If you hadn't met me, if I hadn't followed you to that rooftop... None of this would've happened. I was the one who led the Foot Clan to you, or have you forgotten that?"

"April, you know we don't blame you for that." Leonardo said firmly. He could see how her words were breaking Mikey's heart.

"You should." April snapped. "If I hadn't lead them here, the Shredder would have never hurt Splinter! He got hurt _because of me._ He got hurt because I cared more about a stupid story, my career, than anything else!"

"Please, April. Don't go." Mikey begged her, reaching out for her arm.

She yanked away from him, rushing by Leonardo and Arelle quickly. The look on Mikey's face was one unlike Leonardo had ever seen. He was devastated by April's reaction. Leonardo felt his control over the situation slip away even further. Arelle ran over to Mikey and hugged him hard.

"She's just upset." Arelle cooed gently, much like a sister would to a brother. "She'll come around. She just needs time."

"I hope so." He replied, and again, Leonardo was reminded of just how young Mikey really was. All of these emotions were too much for his kind, optimistic heart. Donatello might have been the more sensitive of the bunch, but Mikey was the most fragile. Any kind of conflict usually completely tore him apart.

What would happen to him because of all this? What would happen to Raphael, Donatello, and now April?

 _Sensei, what am I going to do without you?_


	11. Chapter 11: Solutions

_Author's note: First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has followed, reviewed, and favorited this story. You guys keep me inspired to write, so really, I appreciate it more than you know. I got a few comments after the last chapter that I wanted to address:_

 _Mari writes_ " _So they really haven't even known April that long have they? I'm just trying to figure out how long master splinter has been sick." - They have not known her long. At the end of the 2014 movie, April makes the statement "that's what family it for, Raph" indicating that she feels very strongly towards the brothers and Splinter (after all, don't forget that she did save them from the fire all those years ago). So, even though she hasn't known them long, her reaction is so extreme because she feels like she let them down and couldn't save them again. At the point that the story starts, Splinter has only been sick for a few weeks. When Arelle starts helping him, the events that follow happen over only a few days, until he passes._

 _"Quick question, Leo comments that he forgot how young Mikey actually is...does that mean he's younger than him?" - So on the subject of ages, I view their ages to be Leo and Raph as 19, bordering on 20. Donnie as 17 and Mikey as 16. In the 2014 universe the turtles were alive and experimented on for a while before they mutated, so it would be possible for them to have all been different ages at that point. But obviously the difference would only be by a few years, since when they were growing up after the mutation, they all appeared to look quite similar. I hope that makes sense._

 _Guest writes "Honestly I don't think April and Mikey would be that close...he's so pervy towards her." - So, just my thoughts on this topic, I guess I view them as a good pair because Mikey thinks of her as perfect. He is the only one in the 2014 universe that shows interest in her sexually, and even though I'm sure she doesn't feel the same way (as she states in the story) she never seems bothered by his comments in the movie. She seems to find them cute or entertaining, because he is portrayed as the youngest, but also one of the sweetest, of the brothers. So, I think Mikey would emotionally latch onto her because she pays attention to him, but also because in his eyes, she is literally the girl of his dreams. But, of course, that doesn't mean that he only cares about her. His reaction to her leaving was not meant to come off as him forgetting about Splinter - I don't think that would ever be possible._

 _I hope that clarifies things for you all! I love when people share their opinions and ask questions, so never feel shy about doing so._

 _Enjoy!_

 _~ Kaija_

* * *

Leonardo stood in the hallway between Donatello's laboratory and Raphael's bedroom. He'd left Mikey in the care of Arelle for the moment, knowing that his other two brothers needed to be checked on. He hadn't seen either of them since they'd both left Splinter's room in the middle of the night, and it was now late in the morning.

He wasn't sure who to go to first. They would both be challenging to comfort. Donatello, who would surely be wallowing in self-hate for not saving their father, and then there was Raphael, who would be in denial of any emotions.

Leonardo sighed deeply, then knocked on the door to Donnie's lab.

No answer came, as he had expected, and so he let himself in. His brother was hunched over the desk, his large fingers typing quickly across four keyboards. The sound of the clicking and clacking filled up the whole room as Leonardo went to Donatello's side. He took a seat next to the purple-masked turtle and gave him a long moment to acknowledge his presence before speaking.

"Donnie?"

"I've almost got it worked out, I can't believe I didn't see it before, such a simple mistake..." Donatello muttered, and Leonardo wasn't sure if it was even meant for him or not.

His brother still hadn't looked up from all of the screens in front of him. Webpages appeared and then collapsed. Numbers divided, subtracted, and added. Pictures flashed, then disappeared. It was a whirl of only things that Donatello could possibly understand.

"It doesn't seem simple." Leonardo said gently. "I'm sure you did the best that could at the time."

No response. Just more typing that seemed to grow increasingly more furious as Leonardo spoke.

"Donatello." Leonardo said firmly, putting a hand on his brother's arm, hoping to calm him down. "Talk to me."

Almost instantly, Donatello ripped his arm away from Leonardo and spun around in his chair to face him. Huge tears were already spilling from beneath his thick glasses.

"Talk to you?" Donatello replied harshly. "There is nothing to talk about, Leonardo. _I failed_. I failed our family. I am okay with not being the toughest, the funniest, or the leader. I am supposed to be the smart one, and I can't even do that right. The only thing I can do is try to fix it. That is what you do when a program doesn't work: you analyze the data and you find the problem."

"Donnie..." Leonardo said gently. "This... this isn't a problem you can simply... fix. I mean, you didn't even break anything in the first place. Some things... just happen."

"No." His brother said, already pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and turning back to the keyboards. "There is always a solution."

Leonardo watched him resume his erratic typing, unsure of what to say anymore. Donatello was broken, and being the scientist that he was, he believed that his salvation would be found in the depths of his computer. In knowledge. In fact and logic. Leonardo wished that he could let him live in this delusion, but it wasn't healthy. He couldn't let Donatello become obsessive, as he had seen him become many times before, and lock himself away from the world.

Of course, in the past, it was always Splinter who had been the only one capable of bringing Donatello back to his senses.

"Nothing you do is going to bring him back." Leonardo told Donatello gently. "There is no solution this time, brother."

Leonardo used every ounce of strength he had to not cry as he said those words... as he said the truth.

 _I have to be strong._

The typing stopped once more. Donatello's shoulders were rising up and down rapidly, his breathing labored, his cheeks getting wetter by the second. He then finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably and, in a manner very unlike himself, he knocked all the keyboards to the ground with one rage filled swoop of his arm.

"I don't understand how this happened." Donatello murmured through his tears."The statistics pointed to him making a full recovery. I did research. I factored in all the right probables."

"Donnie, without you, Splinter wouldn't have had any chance of living at all. It's because of you that we had any hope he could recover. You were right when you said that you're the smart one. We all depend on you for that, but we don't blame you for not having all the answers." Leonardo told him sincerely. "But most importantly, Splinter would be proud of you for everything that you did to help him. He knows that you tried your best. We all do."

"You really think so?" Donatello replied weakly.

"Yes, I do." Leonardo assured him.

Donatello swallowed hard, removing his glasses and wiping at his eyes. "Can I just... be alone for a little while longer?"

"Sure." Leonardo replied, putting a hand on Donatello's arm once more and squeezing it reassuringly before leaving.

Next was Raphael, and Leonardo took a minute in the hallway to prepare himself for whatever mood his other brother would be in. With Raph, you could never really be sure how he would react to any given situation.

Leonardo knocked on the bedroom door, already picking up on the noises of Raphael hitting his punching bag from the inside.

"What?" He heard his brother call and so he took that as an invitation to enter.

As he had predicted, Raphael's face was emotionless as his eyes flicked over to him. Leonardo knew him well though, and he could see that Raph had been crying.

"What?" Raphael repeated as he continued to hit the punching bag.

"I just wanted to check on you." Leonardo said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Never been better." Raphael sneered sarcastically. He landed another good three punches before turning his full attention to Leonardo. "That all?"

Leonardo sighed. "Don't act like nothing is wrong, Raph."

"Don't tell me how to act, _Leo_." Raphael shot back harshly. "Just cause I'm not fallin' apart, that doesn't mean I'm not dealin' with it."

Leonardo held up his hands as a sign of peace. He hadn't come to argue. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"So, what now?" Raphael asked, folding his arms across his broad chest.

"I don't know." Leonardo replied honestly.

"Well, let me know when ya figure it out." Raphael huffed. "Until then, don't try an' Dr. Phil me, okay? I'm fine."

"Right." Leonardo shot back, Raphael's attitude finally getting under his skin. "I'm sure you are fine. And like always, how _you_ feel is the only thing that matters to you."

"No." Raphael snapped. "I just don't see any point in talkin' 'bout this anymore. Splinter is dead. I get that. I don't need you to keep remindin' me."

"That isn't what I was trying to do." Leonardo said defensively.

"I think you're the one who needs to talk 'bout things." Raphael commented. "You just won't admit it."

"I'm handling it." Leonardo replied firmly.

"Whatever you say, bro." Raphael said, obviously not believing him. "You're always so worried about bein' the leader than you never trust any of us to help you. Let me know when you decide to change that."

The two oldest turtles stared each other down for a moment. Leonardo knew that Raphael was right. He did need to get all of his emotions off of his chest. He did need to have more faith in his brothers abilities to be there for him. But, talking to Raphael while he was still in denial wasn't going to do Leonardo any good, and both of his other brothers were still too upset to burden with his feelings. Leonardo had no choice but to push forward and keep his head held high.

His time to deal with their father's death would come, but today was not that day.

Leonardo left Raphael's room, the sound of his brother pounding on the punching bag even more violently following him down the hallway to his own room. Splinter had always taught him to mediate when he needed to center himself and get his emotions under control, so that was exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

"...I didn't really understand what it was at the time, so I just thought it would be funny to put in his soap." Mikey said to Arelle, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You put _Nair_ in Splinter's soap?" Arelle replied, giggling slightly. "What happened?!"

"Well, there wasn't very much left in the bottle that I had found, but it did some pretty good damage. Splinter had patches of hair missing for weeks."

"Was he super mad at you?" Arelle asked.

"Nah. He was always a good sport about my pranks. I mean, if you call him making me clean the bathroom all by myself for a month being a good sport." Mikey answered, chuckling slightly at the memory. The happiness was followed by a few tears.

Arelle and Mikey had been sitting on the couch for over an hour. What had started as her simply comforting him while he cried had turned into Mikey telling her his fondest memories of his father. She had asked him to try and think about only the good things at one point, and that had led them into the conversation. At first, it had made the youngest turtle cry even harder, but after a few stories, his pain seemed to have been eased slightly.

Arelle wished deeply that she had been able to meet the lively, cunning, and loving Splinter. Each memory that Mikey shared made her feel like she knew the rat a little bit better. The amount of care and devotion that Mikey's voice held as he talked made her appreciate Splinter more and more: he had been responsible for turning four mutant turtles into people who were kind and full of respect for life. Most parents didn't succeed in teaching their children as well as Splinter had.

"My head hurts." Mikey then sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I've got some aspirin in my bag." Arelle said, getting up from her spot beside him on the couch.

She went over to her bag and dug around until she found the bottle, then tossed it to Mikey. She tried not to cringe as he popped the top off and dumped a handful out. He then put them all in his mouth and swallowed them with a drink of water.

 _I guess it makes sense that a huge mutant turtle would have to take 5x more than a human would..._ Arelle pondered, finding the tiniest bit of humor in the situation.

"Keep it." She said when Mikey motioned that he was about to throw the container back. "In case you need more."

Arelle's hand brushed up against her cellphone. She hadn't thought that it would get service in the sewers, but as she looked at the screen, it showed 3 missed calls and 2 voice mails. Figuring that she had hit a pocket of service at one point, since now she had no bars at all, Arelle turned back to Mikey.

"Can I borrow your phone for a minute to check my messages?" She asked him.

"Yeah." Mikey replied and he pulled the device out of a pocket on the strap that was pulled across his chest. "Here."

"Thanks." Arelle said, standing and taking it from him. "I'll only be a minute."

She went into the hallway and leaned up against the wall, dialing the number to her voice mail box. Briefly, she wondered where Leonardo had gone. She hadn't seen him since he had asked her to sit with Mikey after April had left.

"Hi Arelle, it's mom, this is the second time I'm calling you and I'm just getting worried so ple-"

 _Click._

Arelle deleted the message, shaking her head in annoyance. She was in absolutely no mood to deal with her family. She then lifted the phone back to her ear as the second message began to play.

"Hello, this is Linda Goodard calling for Arelle Walsh. Please call me back as soon as possible. Thank you."

Arelle let herself sink down the wall to the ground, already knowing that the phone call could only mean one thing: they'd figured out what to do about the stolen supplies. She took a deep breath and then dialed the number for the hospital. As she waited for the number to be connected, her heart began to race. Her future was about to be decided, and she honestly wasn't sure which way she wanted it to go.

 _Could I even go back and pretend like everything was okay? After everything that has happened?_

"This is Linda Goodard, how may I help you?"

Arelle swallowed hard. "This is Arelle Walsh, returning your phone call."

"Ah. Yes." Linda said in a clipped tone. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you Miss Walsh. We can no longer allow you to continue your medical education here."

"Oh." Was all Arelle could manage to reply.

"We were unable to prove that you were responsible for the missing supplies, however, since you were the only one who had access at the time of the robbery, we cannot allow you to be on our staff. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Yes." Arelle said weakly. "Is the hospital... pressing charges?"

"As I said, we found no proof, so we cannot hold you legally accountable. Hence, the decision to terminate your duties at our hospital. A full report has been sent to your school. Whether or not they allow you to continue on at another hospital is up to them. I suggest you get in touch with them as soon as you can."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Goodbye."

The dial tone sounded in Arelle's ear.

She put the phone down on the cement beside her and let her head fall into her hands. No hospital would hire her with that kind of black-mark in her file. Her chances of continuing her education in the medical field was done, over, gone.

"Arelle."

She practically jumped out of her skin at Leonardo's voice.

"Hi." Arelle greeted him, quickly climbing to her feet. "Where'd you go?"

"I was in my room." He replied, nodding a few doorways down the hall.

Arelle gulped. _Did he overhear all that?_

"Listen, Arelle. I know you're lying about why you needed a place to stay. You need to tell me the truth. Now." Leonardo told her. His tone was hard and much darker than she had ever heard it sound before.

"It's my shit, Leonardo. I can't trouble you with it while you're dealing with so much." Arelle replied, her eyes pleading him to let it go.

"That is exactly why you are going to tell me." Leonardo said firmly. "I'm responsible for this family now. I have to make sure I can trust the people in our lives."

"You _can_ trust me." Arelle responded honestly.

"But you don't trust me, or else you wouldn't have lied to me in the first place." Leonardo said, taking a few more steps toward her. He towered over Arelle, and suddenly, she didn't find his bulk and height attractive - now, it just was intimidating. "And if you don't trust me, then I can't trust you."

"I.. can't tell you. You're dealing with too much right now. You can't take on my shit too." Arelle insisted.

Leonardo glared down her with his large blue eyes. "I'm not going to ask again. Who would be pressing charges against you?"

Arelle shook her head. "No one. It's over. I swear."

Leonardo grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. She looked up at him in fear, seeing how the pain of losing his father had twisted something deep inside of him. His grip on her was just as hard as Raphael's had been earlier, maybe even harder. She had been stupid to think that Raphael was only one who could scare her - Leonardo was almost, in a way, even worse. As he stood before her, his glare was colder, his skill was greater, and his desire to protect his wounded family was the only thing that he cared about.

"I'll tell you." She finally whispered. "I'll tell you everything."


End file.
